KOTOR: Darth Revan Returns
by Lexington's Hammer
Summary: [Chapter 25 Added] The excitement of theor escape is over and now Revan must complete the last thing in his plan before he leaves the Republic. COMPLETE! Please readn andor review!
1. A Bit of a Leadership Struggle

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.

KOTOR: Darth Revan Returns 

**Chapter 1: A Bit of a Leadership Struggle**

Behind his mask Darth Revan sneered as another Republic attack wilted as they tried to break the Sith battle lines. Individual fighters flared out of existence as hordes of Sith fighters swarmed the Republic attackers. A Republic Dreadnaught at the heart of the attack, suddenly without fighter support and surrounded by Sith fighters, was picked apart and exploded with such violence that it tore the ship to pieces.

Revan felt the presence of an approaching Dark Jedi and quietly stepped behind a chamber holding the blackened body of a Jedi Knight that he had drained of his life force to strengthen the new Dark Lord. The Dark Jedi opened the door and strode into the observation room with a confident stride, until he saw Malak's body lying on the floor steam rising from the lightsaber wounds on his body. He froze then with a fearful look in his eyes as he searched the room looking for the person responsible for Malak's death and slowly backed up to the still open door that he had entered through.

With a flick of his hand Revan used the Force to close the door and lock it down. The Dark Jedi whirled when he heard the door closing and then starred at Malak's body as if the dead Sith Lord was responsible. The man's hand reached for his lightsaber as he felt Revan's presence on the room's upper level.

Revan smiled and let the Force amplify his voice throughout the room, "That will do you no good." With another flick of his hand Revan used the Force to call the Dark Jedi's lightsaber to him. The Dark Jedi reached out to try and call his weapon back to him, but could only watch helplessly as the silver cylinder landed softly in Revan's hand as the Dark Lord stepped out from behind the chamber he had been behind.

The Dark Jedi's eyes grew so big they seem to be all white as Revan walked down the ramp to the lower level of the observation room, before the Dark Jedi fell to one knee, bowing himself before the Dark Lord of the Sith.

With the Dark Jedi bowing before him Revan activated the man's ruby lightsaber and lowered it so that it was bare centimeters from his neck. He allowed his voice to emerge as an emotionless hiss, "You are a Dark Jedi of the Sith, will you swear allegiance to me after serving my apprentice or will you suffer his fate as well?"

The Dark Jedi's voice came out weak, barely competing with the hum of his lightsaber, "Yes Lord Revan, I do."

Revan looked on the shaking Dark Jedi and in one swift motion deactivated the Dark Jedi's lightsaber and let it fall beside him, then he let his voice emerge as it had before, an emotionless his, devoid of any feelings, "Rise, pick up your lightsaber, and tell me who you are and why you came here."

The Dark Jedi slowly rose to his feet, all blood seeming to have drained from his face as he cautiously clipped his lightsaber to his belt, "My… name is Valen… Valen Guan and I came here on the behalf of Admiral Oree to speak with Lord Malak."

Reavn's eyes narrowed to slits, though his mask hid any facial expression, "What did the Admiral need?"

Guan gulped, "He wanted report that the Republic Fleet is full retreat and was requesting further orders."

Revan hissed in anger, "What! What kind of mindless fools have Malak put in charge of the mighty Sith Fleet, anyone who command such a force should not need to ask permission to crush a weak enemy." Revan gave himself a few moments to clam his voice, letting the cool calculating edge return, "Where is Admiral Oree now?"

Guan started and the request, "The Admiral? He is on the Star Forge's Upper Command Deck."

Revan nodded, "Go and tell the Admiral to crush the Republic Fleet completely and then I want to see him immediately."

Guan bowed and began to back away from the Dark Lord, then Revan hissed something else, "Also, don't mention that Malak is dead or that I have return, understand?"

The terrified Dark Jedi nodded and bowed again, "Yes Lord Revan, I understand completely." Then he turned and walked away with a pace that gave away his fear and nervousness.

Revan watched the short bald man exit the observation room and then returned to the transparisteel window from where he had been watching the battle. As he looked on the saw three Sith Destroyers advance on the last remaining Republic ships with hundreds of Sith fighters escorting them.

The Republic ships formed a V-shaped formation with the formation's end points aiming into open space and the tip of the V aiming at the approaching Sith ships. Then the Republic began to retreat at full reverse while the few surviving Republic fighters desperately tried to hold off the Sith fighters. As Revan watched the Sith attack reached the Republic formation, two more groups of three Sith Destroyers and fighter escort approached as well and the three groups hit the five Republic ships that made the formation. In seconds the ship on the left arm of the V exploded and the center one on the right stopped dead in space as escape pods shot off it like of spores off a diseased plant.

Another Republic ship, already damaged by the explosion of its comrade, careened out of control and slammed into the rear Republic ship and only quick piloting by the pursuing Sith Destroyers avoided the colliding ships from claiming any Sith ships. The last two Republic ships, their fighters either destroyed or scattered throughout the battlefield, where covered by Sith fighters and burning from numerous hull breaches when Revan felt the arrival of Dark Jedi Guan and the arrogant presence he assumed was Admiral Oree.

He turned as the door opened and the Admiral walked in with Guan following quietly behind him. The fat bald Admiral walked into the observation with the air of someone who thought he was very important. He looked around the room, noticing the obvious signs of a fight, and then he noticed Malak's body and paled just as Guan had done.

Revan slowly walked down the ramp with a steady calculated stepped that made it so he attracted the Admiral's attention, but at the same time showed the danger that he was in.

The chubby Admiral slowly lowered himself to his knee, almost falling over in the effort, and bowed his head, "Welcome back Lord Revan and congratulations on the defeat of you apprentice, I offer you my service-" The Admiral stopped talking as he suddenly was lifted off the ground by his throat with an invisible hand. His bulging eyes looked at Revan's masked face with fearful, yet questioning look. Revan laughed at the fat man as his legs dangled in the air, still not comprehending how he was being lifted up.

Revan tightened his grip on the man's throat through the Force and spoke, "I don't know how a weak fool like you were made commander of the Sith Fleet, but it is obvious that you are no Sith, a true Sith would not need permission to crush a weak enemy, but you needed my blessing so here it is, you are relieved of command, Admiral."

Oree's eyes rolled back in his head as Revan heard a faint crackling sound and the Admiral's fat body went limp. Revan tossed the fat corpse away and looked at the terrified Guan who stood by staring at the large lump of flesh that had been the Sith Fleet's commanding officer. "Do you have any other commands, Lord Revan?"

Revan smiled at the Dark Jedi, "None for the moment, but I would ask you to prepare orders for every command of every vessel and troop regiment in the fleet to assemble at the Temple on the planet. But until the battle is over there is no hurry," Revan eyed the Dark Jedi through his mask's eye slit, "You are dismissed, _Master_ Guan."

The Dark Jedi's eyes lit-up as he was in mid-bow, "As you wish Lo… Thank you Lord Revan, I will make those orders right away."

Revan watched with amusement as the new Dark Master almost ran out of the room, Guan was not very strong in the Force and would most likely be killed by his first apprentice if he did not learn to be more powerful very quickly, but until then his loyalty would be useful while Revan reclaimed the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith.


	2. Beating the Odds

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.   
Chapter 2: Beating the Odds 

With Master Guan off to prepare for Revan to announce to the Sith Empire of his return, Revan left the observation room and took an elevator to the War Room where Bastila was using her Battle Meditation to wipe out the Republic Fleet.

The elevator slowed to a stop and it door opened to reveal the holographic display of the battle going on around the Star Forge and Bastila kneeling before the display in a deep trance; concentrating all her unskilled Battle Meditation powers into conducting the Sith Fleet, while still draining the Republic Fleet as well.

Revan's presence in the Force seemed to influence Bastila for a moment, strengthening her efforts for a few seconds, before her concentration broke and her eyes fluttered as she removed herself from the trance. She looked at Revan's black form and rose to her feet; after a bow she gestured to the elevator that lead to the observation room that Revan had come from, "Welcome back Lord Revan, I knew you pitiful apprentice would be unable to defeat you, the true Lord of the Sith." She turned to face the holographic battle as it flashed with the movements of the ships surrounding the Star Forge, "As you can see, the Republic Fleet is in complete disarray, our attacks have destroyed any hopes they had of reforming their battle lines and are falling back. My Battle Meditation is not even needed to ensure our victory."

Revan shook his head, "No Bastila, I want your influence on this battle until the last Republic ship is destroyed, as you know the Republic and their Jedi pawns have an annoying habit of beating the odds and I won't give them that chance."

Bastila bowed, "Of course Lord Revan," she then knelt again and entered into her trance so she could tap her Battle Meditation. Revan watched as the Sith Fleet's attacks suddenly became more clean and precise while the Republic, already outnumbered, became sloppy in their battles.

With a satisfied smile behind his mask Revan walked over to the elevator on the opposite side of the one that had brought him here to begin with.

After walking down a short hallway Revan arrived at another elevator, however this time the elevator pad was not here. Revan quickly called of the elevator pad to come to his level and them he suddenly felt a tremor in the Force.

He looked down the elevator shaft and saw three figures standing on the approaching elevator pad. Two were just Jedi Knights, but the third, easily a fourth the size of the other two Jedi was no other than Jedi Master Vandar.

Revan's eyebrows shot up in shook, _How could he have survived? I saw his Republic Cruiser explode!_ But some how Vandar had survived and was now coming to confront Revan.

However, as the elevator rose it stopped on the level below him and the three Jedi all got off the pad. Revan felt his anger well up inside him, _No!! He may have escaped my Fleet but he will not escape me!!_ Revan then jumped down the elevator shaft, using the Force to slow his descent until he landed in a crouch on the waiting pad, his cloak pooling around him.

Beyond the closed elevator door Revan still felt the strong presence of the Jedi Master and with a smile under his mask Revan walked through the elevator door and saw a heated battle between the two Jedi Knights and a pair of Dark Jedi that had been sent to stop Revan and his crew as they made their way to Malak.

However, as Revan walked in he couldn't feel Vandar anywhere; bitter anger welled up inside him as he realized that Vandar had slipped from his grasp and he took it out on the two unsuspecting Jedi Knights. Deadly bolts of Force Lightning shot from his fingertips and the two Jedi fell to the ground in a sparking, smoking heap before they even realized they were in danger.

Revan walked up to the two Sith, who still held their active lightsabers, and pointed to the first. An elderly Sith holding a single bladed ruby lightsaber and most likely the younger woman's master, "Have either of you seen a third Jedi that came with these two?" He gestured to the scorched remains of the Jedi Knights.

The elderly man shook his head and his apprentice started to do the saw, but then she stopped and pointed behind Revan. The black clad Dark Lord spun quickly, expecting Vandar to be attacking him, but instead he saw the small Jedi Master returning to the elevator.

Revan swore motioning for the two Sith to follow him as he charged after Vandar. He had been distracted by the battle and the Jedi Master had been able to hide his presence from Revan until it was too late for the Dark Lord to do anything to stop and now Vandar was getting away again. By the time he reached the elevator it had already ascended to the Command Level where Bastila was.

Then Revan realized that Vandar wasn't here for him, but he was here to capture Bastila. Revan called out to Bastila in vain, knowing that the young unskilled girl was giving all of her concentration to her Battle Meditation, ignoring everything else. Only a strong push through the Force could alert her and Revan knew that Vandar wouldn't alert her to his presence and Revan himself was to far away.

Standing there, knowing that Bastila was being capture, yet powerless to prevent it filled Revan with rage. Suddenly he felt Bastila become aware to Vandar's presence for a moment, then the drowsy feeling coming off her told him that Vandar had her in Force induced Stasis.

He repeatedly called the elevator pad to him and finally in came, he and the Dark Jedi took it to the Command Level. The elevator door opened to confirm Revan's fears Vandar had taken Bastila. With a black rage in his heart Revan lead both Dark Jedi to other elevator, the one that Vandar had used to escape him.

The elevator arrived at their level and Revan quickly typed in a command for the elevator to take them to the last stop it had made; where Vandar and Bastila were.

As the elevator descended Revan realized how obvious it was, Bastila's Battle Meditation was allowing the Sith Fleet to coordinate well enough to trap the Republic Fleet here until its doom. Plus, if Vandar captured Bastila and brought her back to the Republic's side the conquest of the Core Worlds would become much more difficult to accomplish.

The elevator had descended five levels before it stopped and the door opened to show a small group of Republic craft all landed on a single pad. One transport and four Jedi starfighters were there, while ten Republic soldiers and four Jedi Knights watched over the hangar. Meanwhile Vandar, Admiral Dodanna, and six more Republic soldiers carried the unconscious Bastila aboard the transport.

When Revan and the Dark Jedi entered the hangar Vandar's small form turned to face him. In a surprisingly loud voice he called to the Dark Lord, "Revan!! Turn away from the Dark side and leave the evil of the Sith or you will be destroyed with them."

Revan responded by drawing his orange-red lightsaber containing the legendary Heart of the Guardian crystal in his right hand and his aquamarine lightsaber containing the Mantle of the Force in his left hand. Vandar and the rest of the party carrying Bastila quickly ran up the ramp while the Jedi Knights scrambled to their fighters. The ten Republic soldiers made a thin battle line in front of the transport while the ship began to start up.

One of the soldiers yelled something to the others and they began to open fire. Revan effortlessly blocked the volleys of blaster fire while slowly advancing toward the soldiers. Beside the Sith advanced as well, the elderly man using his single ruby lightsaber and his young apprentice using her violet lightsaber. Beside him the elderly Dark Jedi cried out in pain as a trio of blaster bolts struck home. His apprentice grabbed her fallen master's lightsaber and advanced with an enraged fire in her eyes.

The soldiers seemed to waver for a moment as the two Sith steadily advance toward them. Then the four Jedi starfighters thrummed to life and rose into the air, the rear two turned to aim at the two remaining Sith with their laser cannons.

Even Revan froze as he saw that amount of firepower aimed at him his lightsabers still humming in his hands. The Republic soldiers began to board their transport while the Jedi held the Sith back; once the last soldier was aboard the transport began to lift off.

In a angry cry Revan ran forward with a speed that could only be reached by using the Force, the two Jedi starfighters fired, but Revan was out of their line of fire before the laser bolts hit him, the other Sith wasn't so fortunate and with a cry a pain she was vaporized by Jedi attack.

Revan swung at the transport, but his blades hit empty air as the ship escaped the hangar. Behind him the Jedi starfighters were turning to bare on him and Revan glanced over his shoulder and with another burst of speed ran for the elevator while laser bolts hit the hangar deck sending explosions everywhere.

The elevator rose into up to the hangar where the _Ebon Hawk_ was docked, while Revan silently cursed Vandar. The Jedi Master had just made Revan's victory much harder to accomplish.

The elevator arrived at the hangar and the door opened to reveal Canderous Ordo and HK-47 waiting at the _Ebon Hawk_'s ramp. With a calm air of power Revan approached the freighter, with Canderous Ordo and HK- 47 waiting at the base of the ramp. The two of them walked out to meet him as he neared the freighter.

Canderous spoke first, "Good to see you back Revan, I knew Malak couldn't defeat you."

HK-47 nodded in agreement, "Statement: Did you enjoy blasting your meatbag of an apprentice, Master?"

Revan chuckled, "As a matter of fact I did HK. Now I want you to come with me to the Maintenance Level, I'm going to upgrade you systems and programs with the Star Forge's technology, including the Jedi-Killer program that Malak used with in the Star Forge's battle droids," he looked at Canderous, "Canderous ready the _Ebon Hawk_ for lift off, we're going to the Rakatan Temple once I return. There I will name you Commander of the entire Sith Fleet and the chief leader of the invasion of the Core Worlds," Revan watched as the Mandalorian's eyes grew a excited look, "I know you and your fellow Mandalorians never got the chance to attack the Core Worlds because of me, but now you can have your chance."

Canderous bowed, "Thank you Revan I will be honored to lead your forces into glorious battle against the Republic." Canderous glanced at Revan's robes and noticed how the edges were burnt and had two blaster holes in them. He pointed to them, "What happened to your robes, Revan?"

Revan glanced down at the damaged robe, pushing them behind him, "Somehow Jedi Master Vandar and Admiral Dodanna survived the destruction of their ship, managed to board the Star Forge to capture Bastila, and escaped with her alive." Revan paused as he reached for Bastila's unconscious presence; it was near, but faint for a moment, then it disappeared suddenly, "If I had to guess, I'd say their ship just entered into hyperspace and without Bastila's Battle Meditation more ships could have escaped as well," with his voice full of disgust Revan continued, more to himself than to Canderous, "the Republic has managed to beat the odds again."

Revan walked off toward to the elevator, "Come on HK-47." The coppery droid followed its Master as they were whisked to the Maintenance Level, leaving Canderous to ready the _Ebon Hawk_.


	3. The Preparation

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE. 

Chapter 3: The Preparation

The elevator door opened to the clang and hiss of a droid factory as battle droids, maintenance droids and droids whose use was so unique that Revan couldn't even classify them were being built. He and HK-47 marched through the organized chaos to the factory's only workstation, where the Star Forge's droids would receive new programs and upgrades.

HK-47 stepped into the workstation's upgrade chamber, a maintenance droid that had the look of a multi-limbed spider hung from above. Revan took the workstation's operator seat and began to type in requests for the programs used in the Star Forge Battle Droids that Malak had tried to destroy him and Bastila with when they assaulted the Star Forge to take it from him. He set those to be downloaded into HK, and then while that was loading up he reactivated the droid's assassination protocols. The copper droid powered down and the spidery maintenance droid above it began its work.

As HK was being upgraded Revan searched the Star Forge's computer for any interesting programs that Malak had not yet found. While, he searched Revan found several interesting files. The first was and old program that was used by the Rakatans to create sparring droids with which to train with, though none had been built in years. Revan quickly had the program to load on HK and with it a pair vibroswords from the Star Forge's armory. The programmers of this program had made it very adaptive; while it was loaded onto HK it adjusted to fit the copper droid's construction and abilities in combat. The spidery maintenance droid lowered more arms as it attached two vibroswords in their sheaths to HK's back and simultaneously replaced to droid's servomotors with new more efficient ones that were built to take the strain that they would take when HK fought in a melee fight.

Another file Revan found was one experimental ship designs that the Rakatan engineers had created to form a new Rakatan Battle Fleet. The ship was eight times larger then the Destroyers that made up the bulk of the Sith Fleet and the Rakatan engineers had given it the class of designation of Battlecruiser. The massive warship was five kilometers long, carried ten squadrons of fighters and could hold eight regiments of ground troops beside the Battlecrusier's crew, which numbered at 125,000 soldiers.

Revan let a predator's smile cross his face as the holographic image of the Battlecruiser floated above the workstation computer. He typed in orders with an eager pace, putting the request to build this mighty warship at the top of the Star Forge's building list, and while he was at it Revan named his new warship the _Vengeance_.

The last file gave Revan information that gave him hyperspace coordinates to several unknown planets where he could stage attacks on the Core Worlds, he had this data downloaded into the _Vengeance'_s navigation computer.

By this time HK-47's modification were complete, but before he reactivated the droid, Revan used the upgrade chamber's scanning equipment to create a blueprint of HK-47. Revan then turned HK's designs into a regular battle droid, by removing the assassination programs and the personality programs, but other than that he left the designs the same. With the click of a button Revan replaced the Star Forge's old battle droids with the HK-inspired designs, which Revan designated HK-Alpha Battle Droids, or Alphas for short.

Then Revan awakened the assassination droid from his slumber, its golden eyes glowed brightly as HK's head turned to look at it Master, "Query: Are my modifications complete, Master?"

Revan nodded, and the copper plated droid exited the upgrade chamber while he scanned is new programs, "Statement: It feels optimal to have my assassination programs operational and the new 'Jedi-Killer' programs that the Star Forge has seem to be very efficient indeed," The droid seemed to pause in surprise as it scanned its last upgrade, "Astonishment: Master, have you given me programs that allow me to use melee weapons?"

Revan chuckled as he nodded to the baffled droid.

HK reached behind him and drew the two vibroswords looking at them as the dim factory lights shined off their humming blades.

With another predator's grin, Revan rose to his feet and readied his lightsabers, "Well, HK how about you test you new programs out on me."

HK-47 seemed to hesitate, "Query: Are you sure Master? I am now designed to destroy Jedi in hand-to-hand combat, I would not wish to harm my Master."

Revan responded by activating his orange-red and aquamarine lightsabers, "Don't worry HK, you are designed to destroy _Jedi_ in hand-to-hand combat, but I am no mere Jedi, I am the Dark Lord of the Sith."

HK nodded and took a battle stance with his two vibroswords held at the ready.

Suddenly, with amazing speed HK attacked Revan, to first attack shook Revan as he was shocked at how fast, yet still powerful the copper droid's attacks were. The attacks from both of HK's arms were equally powerful, giving the droid an obvious advantaged over most Jedi; most melee fighters were weaker on one side than the other, but HK, because he was a droid had perfect balance and flexibility on both sides.

The copper droid drove Revan back with one powerful attack after another, though Revan was staying defensive for the moment he was still hard pressed to hold back HK's assaults. With this though he smiled, he prided himself in his strength, it was the only reason he was able to stop HK's attacks, but most Jedi were not as strong, HK-47's attacks would blow past any average Jedi in the first few blows.

Finally Revan went on the offensive, but HK managed to hold him at a standstill as the droid somehow was able to stop Revan's attacks and continued to attack with the same relentless drive as before.

After a few more minutes HK stopped and stepped back, "Query: Should we stop Master? I know you have to return to the planet to repair the damage done by your Meatbag apprentice."

Revan nodded, returning his lighsabers to his belt, "Yes HK, go to the _Ebon Hawk_ and wait for me, I have one more thing to take care of before I leave."

The copper droid left the maintenance level, while Revan typed at the workstation computer.

The droid factory slowed to a stop as Revan's new orders were uploaded; after w few minutes the factory began to power up and started building an army of Alphas.

Revan stood from the workstation and typed in the frequency for Master Guan's comlink, "Master Guan, report to the _Ebon Hawk_ immediately."

With that message sent the Dark Lord entered the elevator leading the _Ebon Hawk_'s hangar, while his new battle droid army began to form.

EBON HAWK'S COCKPIT 

Sitting in the pilot seat of the _Ebon Hawk_, Revan watched Master Guan approach the freighter. The bald Dark Jedi walked up the ramp and came to its cockpit. He stopped in the cockpit's doorway when Revan turned the pilot's chair to face him.

Revan interlaced his fingers, "Master Guan, give me a report on the outcome of the battle with the Republic Fleet."

The Dark Jedi Master nodded, "Once we launched our attacks, the Republic Fleet was scattered and we destroyed three of the Republic Cruisers. Admiral Dodonna's flagship was also destroyed, however a transport and four Jedi Starfighters escaped the Cruiser before it exploded and they used the Cruisers explosion to cover their escape.

"With their flagship destroyed the Republic Fleet fell into confusion and began to fall back, then they made on last desperate stand against at the edge of Rakatan's gravity well." Guan gulped for a moment, "I regret to report that despite our best effort, one Republic Cruiser and two Dreadnaughts did, however, escape us without taking any major damage."

Revan nodded, "The transport and Jedi starfighters that escaped the Republic flagship landed on the Star Forge and abducted Bastila, would you care to explain how they penetrated the Star Forge's defenses?"

Master Guan nodded reluctantly, "Well, the Star Forge's lower decks are too close to the sun for there to be any mounted defenses, the solar heat would cause them to overheat after the first few shots. Three squadrons of Sith Fighters were assigned to guard the unprotected area, but it appears that they failed to guard it effectively."

Revan growled, "They will be reprimanded for their failure," he stopped to think for a moment, "have all of the survivors executed at once."

Guan bowed slightly, "As you command Lord Revan."

Revan waved a hand to dismiss the matter, "I assume the transport and Jedi Starfighters were on one of the escaping Republic ships?"

Guan shook his head slightly, "Yes my Lord, the Republic Fleet made a foolish move that doomed most of their Fleet in the process, but it did allow the transport and the two Starfighters that had survived our attacks to dock on the Republic Cruiser before it escaped. However, with the exception for those three ships, every Republic ship was destroyed by our forces."

Revan snarled in humiliation, the Republic had bested him; Admiral Dodonna and Master Vandar had escaped and now they had Bastila and her Battle Meditation in their control.

With an exasperated sigh he turned to begin take-off for the _Ebon Hawk_. Master Guan took the copilot seat, while HK-47 and Canderous manned the freighter's turrets; just in case a surviving Republic fighter tried and suicide attack in an effort to assassinate the Dark Lord.

The _Ebon Hawk_ shook unsteadily as Revan took her into the planet's atmosphere, he growled at how his piloting skills were out of shape. Carth Onasi had always insisted on flying the freighter, but now Carth was stranded on the planet below, along with the Twi'lek girl Mission Vao and her Wookiee friend, Zaalbar after they had decided to betray him when he reclaimed the title of Dark Lord of the Sith. Revan tightened his hands on the piloting controls in anger, causing the _Ebon Hawk_ to toss more at his rough handling.

With a slight jolt Revan landed the freighter on the Rakatan Temple's landing pad. As he walked down the freighter's ramp he saw the corpses of the Jedi Juhunai and Jolee Bindo. The two foolish Jedi had tried to kill him after he had chosen to become the Dark Lord again; they had been no match for Revan and Bastila.

All of the _Ebon Hawk_'s crew followed him out, only Canderous seemed to take notice the dead Jedi, nodding respectfully to their fallen forms.

Revan looked to T3-M4, "T3, go and find out how to modify the _Hawk_ so that the Star Forge's dampening field no longer affects her, then reactivate the field."

T3 responded with a series of chirps and whistles. HK translated for him, "Translation: The maintenance droid says he will be pleased to obey, it says that he disliked repairing the damage to his systems after the last landing on this miserable planet." HK's eyes seemed to glow brighter, "Query: If you are displeased with this small scrap heap, I would happily blast it for you, Master."

T3 blatted something that sounded most unflattering before it rolled of to fulfill Revan's command.

Revan chuckled, but before he could answer the bone-chilling cry of a Rancor filled the Temple plaza bellow. Everyone, except T3, moved to the edge of the landing pad to see what was happening.

When Revan reached the edge he saw four Sith apprentices engaged with a Rakatan War Band. One of the Rakatan's Rancor Beasts and five of their warriors engaged the apprentices as they stood at the base of the Temple's ramp, stranded outside the Temple force field. The Temple's force field must have reactivated when the Star Forge came under attack even though Revan a deactivated it with the dampening field.

The four apprentices fought against the War Band, killing the Warriors and the Rancor as well. Then another pair of Rancor cries filled the air as the smell of death attracted more, wild Rancors.

One of the apprentices, a young woman with blonde hair and obviously the group's leader, stepped forward and shot both Rancors with small bolts of lightning from her hands. The first Rancor roared out in pain before it collapse, but the second was only slowed by the attack.

The apprentice stopped her lightning assaults, exhausted at the effort it required to use Force lightning at these early stages of her training, and readied her ruby double bladed lightsaber. The other three apprentices all threw their lightsabers at the charging Rancor, using the Force to call the weapons back to their hands.

With steaming lightsaber wounds the Rancor gave another roar and charged forward.

The four weary Sith apprentices raised their lightsabers and ran to attack the beast. Within the first opening minutes of the battle the Rancor stomped on one of the apprentices, leaving only a bloody smear to mark the apprentices.

The three remaining apprentice attack the Rancor in a blind rage, hacking the beast's hands and legs off in minutes, leaving it to thrash around, spraying its foul smelling blood everywhere. The apprentices still didn't stop though; they continued to hack at the creature until it was nothing but a bloody smear as well.

Then suddenly two ruby bolts of energy flashed out and hit two of the apprentices, the first took the bolt in the face and dropped dead before he even realized he was in any danger. The second Sith had begun to dodge, but the bolt still took him in the right elbow. The energy burned through the apprentice's robed and, in a flash, severed his forearm from his body.

With a cry the apprentice fell to the ground beside his dismembered arm and his now dormant lightsaber, clutching his bleeding arm.

The last apprentice held her lightsaber ready; watching for what ever had attackers her fellows to attack her. Another pair of blaster bolts flew at the apprentice, who calmly blocked them into the ground.

Then four bolts came at her from two different directions, she managed to block the first two, but in doing so exposed her left side to the second pair. However, instead of trying to dodge the bolts the apprentice used the Force to bring the wounded apprentice's severed forearm in to intercept the shots. The arm fell to the ground, charred completely, while the apprentice backed up the ramp to the Temple doors.

Revan watched the apprentice's efforts at blocking these shots and was surprised to feel a familiar presence in the distance. A single word escaped Revan as a low growl, "Carth." Apparently Carth, being stranded on the planet had been delegated to sniping off any Sith that left the Temple. In an angered haste Revan pulled a fragment grenade from Canderous's utility belt and, with a push for the Force, threw it at the distant hill where Carth was hiding.

A small fountain of dirt appeared on the hill and Carth's pain flashed through the Force though not strong enough for him to be mortally wound, but the blaster fire ended.

The Sith apprentice looked up at the landing pad, trying to see who had saved her, but Revan and everyone else stepped back before she could make out anyone clearly.

Revan turned to HK-47,"HK-47 go and open the force field, but allow only that apprentice inside," he pointed to the sole unharmed apprentice, "if the wounded apprentice tries to enter the Temple, terminated him. However, if the apprentice tries to bring in the wounded one I want you to terminate them both."

HK nodded, "Statement: I hope they do try, Master, I would enjoy the opportunity to use my new programming on a disposable Meatbag." With that the copper plated droid walked away.

Revan looked to short Dark Jedi standing beside him, "Master Guan, once this is taken care of," Revan gestured to the apprentice below, "you are to gather a small force of droids, clean the Temple's ramp and set up force fields by the two paths leading to the Temple plaza. Also, when this meeting is over I will be sending down a new army of battle droids for you to command. With this army you are assigned to conquer the Rakatan people; by any means necessary, including wiping their pitiful race from the planet completely."

The Dark Jedi Master bowed, "It will give me great pleasure to serve you in this regard, Lord Revan."

Below the Temple's doors opened and the force field dropped as HK-47 walked out, the droid spoke to the apprentice and then waited for the woman to join him before moving. The apprentice walked up the ramp until she stopped beside the wounded apprentice. The wounded man said something, though Revan couldn't hear what, but instead of helping him the apprentice picked up his own lightsaber and decapitated him with it. As the lifeless body fell to the ground she dropped the now dead apprentice's lightsaber beside his headless body and walked into the Temple.

The Temple doors closed behind them and the force field reactivated automatically.

Revan grabbed his comlink and contacted HK, "HK-47, bring the apprentice to me at once."

The assassination droid's mechanically generated voice responded quickly, "Statement: At once Master."

With a slight bow Guan excused himself, "If you will excuse me Lord Revan, I will see to gathering the supplies necessary to prepare the Temple grounds for the arrivals of the officers of the Sith Fleet."

Revan held one hand up to stop him before he walked off, "One more thing Guan, have your droids plant mines in the area where the officers will assemble to meet me and key their detonation sequences to my comlink," Revan smiled cruelly behind his red and black mask, "if these officers are as lazy as the other officers Malak put in charge of the mighty Sith Fleet I may have no choice but to dismiss them all from their duties."

Guan paled slightly, hesitating as he realized what the Dark Lord was implying, and then quickly bowed, "As you command Master Revan." Still afraid of the Dark Lord the bald Dark Jedi hurried off.

Revan chuckled at the retreating Dark Jedi as he turned to look at the settling dust where Carth Onasi had been. The ex-pilot for the Republic had fled the _Ebon Hawk_ when Revan returned from the Temple without Juhunai or Jolee and as the Dark Lord of the Sith. He had swore to save Revan from himself as he and Mission and Zaalbar had followed him to the abandoned Elders settlement, which Revan had exterminated in exchange for the help of the One, a Rakatan war leader, to enter the Temple.

Now it appeared that Carth had let himself be delegated to sniping any Sith apprentices who left the safety of the Temple. Revan tapped the surface of his mask lightly as he thought about these turn of events; leaving Carth and the others alive on this island could be costly, as they were bound to try and damage the Sith operations on Rakatan, but still they would make an interesting challenge for Sith apprentices who wanted to test their skills.

The sound of HK-47's approach and the tremor he felt from the apprentice accompanying him broke Revan's concentration; he turned to look at this promising youth.

The apprentice's blonde hair fell to the middle of her back, while fiery red eyes looked at the Dark Lord nervously; on her belt hung her double bladed lightsaber. As she came to him Revan saw that she was a beautiful young woman with elegant features and an exquisite body, but as he cataloged all this that should have at least made Revan lust for he found the pure anger and hatred pouring from her to make her alluring, but dangerous; with sufficient training this girl could become a powerful Sith Master, perhaps even strong enough to kill Revan himself as the Dark Lord aged.

She stopped before Revan, stiffed-back and poised, ready to respond to anything that might happen.

Revan smiled, yes this girl could go far, "I have been watching you, and your skills are very impressive apprentice. What is your name?"

The apprentice starred at Revan faceless mask and bowed deeply, "My name is Shalla Uln, Lord Revan."

Revan crossed his arms slowly and nodded, "Well Shalla Uln, I'm not sure if you have heard, but my apprentice, Bastila Shan, has been captured by the Republic and I will need a new apprentice. Your have good skills, but without firm guidance they will falter and you will fall to someone weaker than you. If you are willing to take the risk, you shall be my new apprentice and I will teach you in the dark arts of the a Sith Lord."

Shalla bowed deeply, her blonde hair falling beside her head, "You honor me with your request Lord Revan. I will gladly accept the risks in becoming your apprentice, my Master."

Revan nodded, "Now return to your room and wait for me to send for you. Ready yourself for your training for I will push you to the edge of your abilities and beyond."

Shalla bowed again and walked away.

Revan followed Shalla's shapely form through his mask's eye holes, with an evil smile on his hidden lips. Shalla would make an excellent apprentice indeed, until he recaptured Bastila; then Bastila's Battle Meditation would make her too valuable to the Sith for Revan to trust her with any other Sith Master than himself and Shalla would have to be disposed of.

A loud roar overhead announced the arrival of the first Sith transports carrying the officers of the Sith Fleet, with grim anticipation Revan thought to himself, _So it begins, my final step to reclaiming my title as the Dark Lord of the Sith and the leadership of the Sith Empire._ He smiled wickedly; _This day will go down in history as the day when the Republic heard my name a shook itself to its very foundations._


	4. Retaking the Reigns

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE. 

Chapter 4: Retaking the Reigns

Eight Sith transports sat at the edge of the gathering of the commanding officers of the Sith Fleet. Two force fields glowed a faint purple, blocking the two paths to the Temple and only bloodstains told of the battle that took place on the Temple's ramp only an hour ago.

Now a battle of a different sort was about to be fought, as Revan tied to persuade the officers of the Sith Fleet that he was Darth Revan, the true leader of the Sith and the only real Dark Lord.

Standing behind the Temple's large stone doors stood Revan, Canderous, and HK-47; Valen Guan waited on the Temple ramp, the battle droids that he had gathered forming a perimeter around the ramp, keeping the officers separated from Revan.

Revan flicked his hand and with a touch of the Force opened the heavy door. The stone door groan softly as rock rubbed against rock, opening fully to reveal over a thousand Sith officers, ranging from sergeants to generals, standing in a rough semicircle around the battle droid perimeter.

Guan stepped up and spoke to the gathering, his voice carrying through the Force to amplify it, "Sith commanders, I give you great news, Malak is dead!" Valen quickly gestured to quiet the murmuring that started, "Now see the return of the true Dark Lord of the Sith and the ruler of the Sith Empire, Darth Revan!!"

Revan stepped up as Valen faded into the rest of Revan's party, then a Sith Commander stepped forward, standing alone in the space between the battle droids and the rest of the officers; the nearest droids aimed their blasters at him, ready to fire if he moved to close to the Temple, "That is a lie!! Revan is dead, he was killed by the Jedi!"

Revan chuckled, he had expect some foolish officer to say this, and raised his right hand, the Commander began to choke as his feet left the ground, Revan's masked face sweeping over the rest of the assembly; his voice booming through the Temple plaza through the Force he replied, "I am Darth Revan, I have killed Malak for his cowardly assassination attempt by attacking me from a far when the Jedi invaded my ship."

The Commander's feet dangled in the air, as the man grabbed at his throat, trying to free himself from the invisible hand that was choking him, as Revan continued, "However, to assure his false claim to the title of Dark Lord of the Sith Malak spread lies about my fate and how it came to pass, he knew that if it ever came out that he had tried to supplant me in such a cowardly we he would be killed for it, but I will not punish those who were foolish enough to be blinded by his lies," He lowered his hand and the Commander fell to the ground in a heap as he finally was able to draw a breathe.

Revan crossed his arms, "Now if no one else doubts who I am we will continue," he looked out among the officers for a moment before gesturing to Canderous who was standing off to his right, "First, after the death of Admiral Oree I have decided to name Canderous Ordo to be the Commander of the Sith Fleet. He will command our attacks that will bring the Core Worlds, the Republic, and the Jedi Order to their knees."

Revan paused as a few scattered cheers and the chant of "All hail Revan," filled the plaza. Revan laughed silently to himself as he relaxed his grip on his comlink, _So not all of the officers in command are as dense as that fool Oree, I am glad to see that Malak has not completely ruined any chance for victory here_.

Finally as the cheers finally began to stop he raised his arms, "Now return to your ships and tell your men of my return. Ready your ships as well for soon, we will strike at the very heart and soul of the Republic and cut its bleeding heart for its body!"

Another series of cheers and the same chant could be heard as the officers scattered at return to their respective ships, as Revan battle droids watched them closely.

The Dark Lord turned to Canderous, "Well, _Admiral_ Ordo I want you to take Bastila's fighter and go to the _Leviathan_ and take command of the Fleet. I will take _Ebon Hawk_ back to the Star Forge and await the completion of my new flagship."

Canderous bowed and walked off to the Temple's hangar, where Bastila's fighter had been moved, while Revan, Master Guan, and HK-47 watched the remaining Sith transports lifted off to the orbiting Sith Fleet.

Revan turned to Master Guan and pointed to the distant settlement where the Rakatan War Chief known as the One camped, "Now Master Guan, while I and Apprentice Shalla return to the Star Forge you will be testing a new Battle Droid Army that is being constructed on the Star Forge. The first Battalions should be nearing completion; I will begin sending them down when my flagship has been launched. With these new Battle Droids you will lead your campaign of conquest to bring the Rakatan race to its knees, by any means necessary; including their complete annihilation."

Master Guan bowed respectfully, "It will be my great pleasure Lord Revan."

Revan waved a gloved hand to dismiss the Sith Master, then turned to coppery droid standing beside him, "HK-47, go to Shalla Uln's quarters and bring her to the _Ebon Hawk_ at once."

With that Revan reentered the Temple, headed for his freighter to await his new apprentice before they went to reclaim his flagship and begin the planning for the galaxy's conquest.

ADMIRAL DODONNA'S FLAGSHIP 

With a groan Bastila opened her eyes and tried to sit up. Sharp pains in her neck and shoulders immediately told her she was restrained. In a rage she reached out for the Force, ready to use the Dark Side to rip these bonds that held her and kill whoever had the nerve to imprison a Dark Lord of the Sith. Despair filled her as she closed her eyes, searching frantically, but she couldn't find the Force; it had abandoned her!

Then she heard a voice; familiar, yet she couldn't remember where she'd heard it before, "Bastila, reach for the Light Side."

She opened her eyes again and this time saw the diminutive figure of Jedi Master Vandar stood before her.

"What have you done to me you little Jedi?" she hissed angrily.

Vandar sighed solemnly, "In order to show you what you have become, we needed your mind to be free of the Dark Side's influence, we are blocking you from the Dark Side of the Force."

Thoughts whirled through Bastila's head, _We? There are other Jedi, and they're all blocking me from the Force._ Angry boiled up in her at the violation of the Jedi blocking her from the Force, "Release me Jedi!!" she screamed out.

Vandar sighed sadly and a small mirror floated up in front of Bastila's face, "See for yourself Bastila, see what using the Dark Side has done to you."

It was the same brown hair and delicate features that stared back at her, but the gray veins that crisscrossed her face and her once brown eyes now were an emotionless gray. However, the thing about her appearance that scared her the most was her skin, gray and dead-looking, her skin reminded her of a corpse that had yet to be buried.

With a cry of despair she realized what she had done, she had succumbed to her dark feeling and embraced the Dark Side. She had use her gift, the gift of Battle Meditation, to destroy a Republic Fleet and killing countless people she had sworn as a Jedi to protect.

In shame she closed her eyes, tears running down her lifeless skin, until finally she screamed a terrible cry of sorrow and tried to reach for the comfort of the Force, but it still ignored her.

Vandar called out to her in her mind, _Reach for the Light Side, Bastila._

Bastila struggled within herself, _I cannot, I have fallen too far to return to the Light. I can't do it._ With the last bit will she did touch the Light Side and felt life flow through her as she grasped the Force; but as soon as she felt it, the Force left her and the weakness it left her with caused her to return to the darkness of unconsciousness.

ADMIRAL DODONNA'S FLAGSHIP 

Vandar watched sadly as Bastila fell unconscious, she had turned to the Light Side, if only for a moment; proving the Dark Side hadn't taken her fully.

Yet, it had been her shame at falling to the Dark Side was keeping her from accepting the Light Side. He new that it would be difficult to undo the damage caused by the Reborn Darth Revan, but he was sure Bastila would be redeemed, just as Darth Revan could have been,

With a sigh Vandar exited Bastila's holding cell, leaving her to her unconscious dreams, as her mind battled with the Dark Side, trying to free herself from its grasp.

HANGAR ON THE RAKATAN TEMPLE 

A cruel smile crossed Revan's face as Shalla Uln entered the room. HK-47 walked behind her, its two Vibroswords drawn at the ready. She held a short towel protectively around her body, water still dripping from her and pasting her hair to her head, in her arms were her robes and double-bladed lightsaber.

Revan eyed over her exposed flesh, water glistening off long, shapely legs and plastering her long blonde hair to her bare shoulders.

Shalla pulled her small towel higher to hide her cleavage, exposing more of her smooth thighs.

She stopped in front of Revan, ignoring her appearance now that she was in her Master's presence, locking eyes with his faceless mask, "You summoned me Master Revan?"

Revan nodded, still drinking in her form in the far corner of his mind, until he pushed the thoughts from his mind, if he allowed himself to think of Shalla as anything than an apprentice he would be blind to her plotting to take the mantle of Dark Lord from him, just as he had with Malak's friendship. "Yes, I did Apprentice Shalla, put your robes on and we will be going the Star Forge to take command of my flagship when it is launched."

Shalla dropped her towel, exposing every inch of her body for several minutes until her dark robes covered her. Revan forced thoughts of the pleasure he could find in Shalla's body, he knew she would only use such a relationship to her advantage, but he still was tempted.

Revan nodded to her and HK-47 and lead both aboard the _Ebon Hawk_. Shalla took the copilot seat and with a low thrum the freighter lifted off into the sky above.

The Star Forge and the Sith Fleet grew in the viewport as they approached, then Revan saw his flagship. The Battlecruiser was drifting down from the Star Forge's construction bays, swarms of transport deploying the crew for the new ship, the _Vengeance_.

Revan turned the _Ebon Hawk_ toward the new Battlecruiser, eager to dock with the massive warship that was his flagship.

The perfect silver hull shined as the nearby Rakatan sun hit its polished armor plates, the command tower sitting a top the hull overlooking the dozens of Sith Destroyers that orbited around the Star Forge; the very command tower from which Revan would lead the blow that would crush the Republic completely.

Thousands of turbolasers, ion cannons, and heavy laser batteries sat silently; ready to be put into action against the enemies of the Sith Empire.

The freighter's communication system crackled to life, "Greetings Lord Revan, the _Vengeance_ awaits your command. If you will move to a heading of 24.103, you will find a hangar has been prepared for your arrival."

Revan adjusted the course and landed on his new flagship. He, Shalla, and HK-47 walked down the freighter's ramp, greeted by a tall, well-muscled man with a shaved head. He wore a Sith Commander's uniform and a pair of heavy blaster pistols on his hips. He stopped before Revan and fell to one knee, bowing his head deeply, "Welcome aboard the _Vengeance_ Lord Revan, the Sith Fleet awaits your command."

Revan crossed his arms, "Rise; what is your name?"

The commander rose, swallowing noticeably as he did, "I am Commander Jassen Oree," his neck muscled tightened considerably, "Admiral Oree's son."

Revan stared at Commander Oree through his faceless mask, letting the officer sweat in fear of what he might do before speaking, "I trust your father's death showed you how not to serve the Sith Empire, correct?" The younger Oree nodded, nervously and Revan continued, "you do appear to be better prepared for the challenges of being an officer in the Sith Empire than your father." Revan gestured to Jassen's pistols to drive the point home before continuing, "I want you to prepare quarters for myself and my apprentice Shalla, with a training room between our quarters as well on the deck below the bridge. There will also be a private elevator in the training room that leads to the bridge and to a private hangar where the _Ebon Hawk_ and our personal fighters will be docked."

Commander Oree bowed, "I will see to it at once Lord Revan," he turned on his heel and left Revan, Shalla, and HK-47 in the hangar alone.

Revan looked at Shalla, "Now my apprentice, we will go to the bridge and oversee the preparation of this engine of destruction for its deadly introduction to the forces of the Republic."

Revan and Shalla stalked out of the hangar, HK-47 following them silently, into the heart of the Battlecruiser; ready to prepare it for the many victorious battles this new warship would take part in until the Republic finally met its demise.


	5. Darkness Strike Back

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE. 

Chapter 5: Darkness Strikes Back

Darth Revan overlooked _Vengeance_'s bridge crew as they ran the endless system checks that were needed to keep the massive warship at its top state of readiness.

Beyond the warship's curved, beak-like bow was the rest of the Sith Fleet that had traveled with the _Vengeance_ from the Star Forge in formation, waiting to enter hyperspace and attack the Core Worlds, the heart of the Republic.

The Sith forces orbited an abandoned planet near the boarder of the Core Worlds named Belinvaia, Revan's taskforce was made up of seven Sith Destroyers and _Vengeance_ herself. The rest of the Destroyers in orbit were broken up into groups of two or three, to be part of a massive wave of raids to sow terror and destruction throughout the Core Worlds. The Destroyers in Revan's taskforce all carried regiments of Sith Troopers that would be used to assault the taskforce's target, the Core World named Drall.

At two similar staging planets that Revan had found in the Star Forge's computer were two more groups like his. Admiral Ordo was commanding a taskforce of ten Sith Destroyers with the target of his forces being Corsin in the Sesswenna Sector. The other taskforce was attacking Talus and was under the command of Admiral Survok; Survok had taken command of the Sith Empire's boarder forces in the confusion following the death of Admiral Karath.

These three taskforces were going to be the heart of an all out attack on nearly every boarder Core World, only excluding the more heavily defended systems that would require a large concentration of the Sith Fleet to conquer. Drall, Corsin, and Talus were the first systems that would fall to the Sith, opening up the rest of the Core Worlds to invasion.

While the primary attacks were launched, groups of two to three Destroyers would be hitting Republic outposts, bases, and other planets on the edges of the Core Worlds.

Revan knew that the Republic would rush defenses and supplies to as many systems that were hit as they could, depleting the Republic's already overstretched military. Then the Sith Fleet would be able to crush the Republic Fleet wherever they found it.

Commander Oree stood beside the Dark Lord as the hours counted down to the preset launch time for the entire operation to begin. In order for all three planets to fall quickly, without a chance for the Republic Fleet to intervene, the attacks had to begin simultaneously. About thirty minutes before the main attacks were launched the raids would begin, each group's target was scattered a long the Core Worlds' boarder; to hide where the real attacks were going to hit. The raiders had orders to knock out the planets' long-range communications first, so as to slow the Republic's reaction time to the Sith threat and keep the real targets from being alerted to the Sith offensive.

The clock on Revan's command chair reached the three hour mark, as Belinvaia rotated below the Sith forces.

With a bit of impatience in his normally emotionless voice, Revan stood up glancing at Commander Oree as he walked toward the private elevator that led to his quarters, "Commander, you have the bridge, contact me when the first of the raids begin."

The muscled officer bowed sharply as the Dark Lord entered the newly installed elevator that led to the training room where he was training his new apprentice in the dark arts of the Sith.

As the elevator door opened Revan saw his apprentice sparring with HK-47, who had insisted on standing guard over Revan at every possible moment. As Revan entered the room he could tell that HK wasn't using all of the power at his disposal, having lowered his aggression setting for sparring; only Revan could hold his own against the powerful assassin droid when it gave him everything it had.

When Revan entered the room, both Shalla and HK stopped sparring, Shalla bowing deeply and HK returning to its place beside Revan's quarters. Revan nodded to Shalla, "It is time for your training to resume my apprentice, we'll start with your lightsaber techniques."

Revan drew his two lightsabers and ignited their orange-red and aquamarine blades as Shalla readied her double bladed red saber. She wearily readied her lightsaber; sweat plastering her blonde hair to her face.

Revan smiled, his face hidden behind his black and red mask, holding his lightsabers at the ready, his right hand in a high guard and his left trailing behind him, to slash low.

Shalla attacked first, swinging one blade low and following with a downward slash.

Revan blocked both blows, without even taking a single step back. Shalla stepped back and tried again, this time attacking him from the right and the left. Revan blocked those as easily.

Finally, Shalla stuck from above, then from the right, moving with a blurring speed, yet Revan stilled blocked the blows.

Revan's laughter echoed out from behind his mask as Shalla prepared to attack again, then sprang forward, lightsabers nothing but orange and blue blurs.

He attacked Shalla quickly and powerfully, barely giving her a chance to recover before he attacked again. She fell back moving around the training room to avoid Revan's attacks.

Then as she was backed up against the door of her quarters she tried to attack again. Revan chuckled as her blow flew by, out of control. He saw her face, the lights from their sabers highlighting her sweat, as he swung his left hand lightsaber. The aquamarine blade sliced through the center of her saber, killing both blades and leaving her defenseless.

Revan swung his other blade, but stopped it bare inches from her throat. He deactivated both blades and stepped back, "Your are beaten, my young apprentice. Go, rebuild your weapon, it was tainted by the teachings of my foolish apprentice. A new one is needed if you are to be my apprentice fully. Build a new lightsaber, as powerful as you can make it, a blade that will strike fear in friend and foe alike. You will remain in your quarters, perfecting your lightsaber, until I or HK-47 come for you to continue your training."

Shalla bowed, her body shaking in fear, "As you command, my Master." With one glance at her destroyed lightsaber, she ran into her quarters.

Revan glared down at the severed lightsaber that lay on the ground before him, with a flick of his hand he threw both halves into the trash receptacle, listening to the pieces clatter down the tube.

Then he looked down at his own two lightsabers.

The blade in his left hand bore the symbol of the Sith, but the Sith under Malak. The other lightsaber was the only thing that still linked him to his false life as a Jedi Padawan. Even though he had felt the Dark Side calling to him then, he still hadn't been a devoted servant of the Dark, and the Light Side still mixed with the lightsaber's working, but when he tried to drive the Light from the cylinder, it ceased to function.

As he remembered the feeling of using the Light Side to build his lightsaber, the thought of using these weapons in battle again sickened him. How could he be the Dark Lord of the Sith if he wielded a Jedi style of lightsaber?

With this disturbing thought now in his mind, Revan went to his quarters to build a lightsaber fitting for the Dark Lord of the Sith.

It took nearly two hours to construct the inner working of his new lightsaber. It was a double bladed lightsaber, the same as most Sith Master's, however, Revan's lightsaber had a few special modifications that made it more powerful than the average lightsaber.

First, the cylinder was painted solid black, but this was hide what the saber was made of, a cortirois weave metal; to make sure this new lightsaber wasn't destroyed as he had destroyed Shalla's, protecting the rare crystals that gave his lightsaber its powerful blades.

Second, he had taken both crystals from his old lightsaber and added them to this one. However, to boost the power, just as he had told Shalla, he built what he called a cross-crystal lightsaber.

Both crystals were arranged equaling spaced from the center, giving the look of two lightsabers being joined together. The entire length lightsaber was made of power cells with the center of them missing to allow the blades to emerge. The uniqueness of a cross-crystal design was that, instead of the blades coming from the one crystal and emerging out of the lightsaber, the energy from one crystal went through the other, then emerged, doubling the blade's power.

Revan set the final component of the lightsaber and closed the shiny black cylinder. He held the new lightsaber in his hands, letting the Dark Side flow from him into the lightsaber; he felt the lightsaber and him become one, all the parts falling into place, and activated his new weapon with a flick of his thumb.

With a crack, like a new whip, the new lightsaber's double blades sprung to life, two black blades emerging. Near the edges of the blades the energy faded to a dark purple, but the rest of the blades seemed to absorb any light that touched it, spreading its darkness until it looked like a black haze surrounded it. The edges of the blades whispered and cracked as excess energy from the cross-crystal design skittered across the blades in the form of dark purple lightning flashing across the blades.

Revan smiled as he felt the Dark Side coarse through his new weapon, the blades hissing like a brood of vipers. He finally deactivated his new lightsaber and hooked it across the back of his waist, hiding it from others with his cloak. With a disgusted glance at his old lightsabers he placed them in his quarters trash receptacle with the Force, listening to them fall down with a deep satisfaction.

Just then his comlink beeped, Commander Oree's voice emerging from it, "Lord Revan, we are five minutes from the launch of the first raiders, we will follow in thirty-five minutes, my Lord."

Revan brought the comlink to his masked face, "Thank you Commander, I will be arriving shortly." The Dark Lord returned his comlink to his belt and left his quarters.

HK-47 looked at its master as Revan exited his quarters, it had been watching the only doorway into the training room, the only place from which assassins would enter to try and attack its Master. The copper droid silently fell in behind Revan and entered the elevator with him. HK always followed him everywhere, except when Revan assigned him to train Shalla in lightsaber combat.

The elevator door opened and Revan and HK-47 walked onto the bridge of the flagship of the Sith Fleet.

Commander Oree turned and bowed to Revan, "Lord Revan, the first of the raiders are entering into hyperspace, reports from the other two staging posts are beginning to arrive with the status of the rest of the Fleet.

Revan nodded and sat in his command chair, "I want all reports that are not standard battle reports to be redirected to me as soon as we receive them, Commander."

The tall officer nodded, "As you command, Lord Revan."

Beyond the bridge viewport groups of Sith Destroyers were breaking orbit, clearing Belinvaia's gravity well to enter into hyperspace, bringing death and destruction wherever they arrived.

For the next twenty minutes nothing was heard of the raiders, only the reports of new Destroyers launching for their destination, along the Core Worlds' boarders.

Then dozens of reports arrived all of a sudden as the first wave of raiders returned form their attacks. Most reported only mild resistance and minimal casualties; however, some met more resistance than they had expected.

One raid group had encountered a large force of Republic Dreadnaughts and a single, battle scarred Republic Cruiser around the planet Tralus, the sister planet to Talus, the target of Admiral Survok's attack. This was cause for concern in Revan's eyes, because if Talus managed to get off some sort of distress signal Survok's force could easily be overwhelmed.

Revan glance at his command chair's clock, in eight minutes all three attacks would launch, not enough time to call of Survok or send reinforcements to help him. He would have to trust the Force and hope that the Republic didn't get lucky.

Commander Oree had remained silent while Revan read his reports, only looking over the more regular reports on the rest of the taskforce; until an updated report from the Tralus raid arrived, "Lord Revan the group that was repulsed at Tralus has returned to Survok's base and they report that the Republic Cruiser and two of the Dreadnaughts are the same ones that escaped the Star Forge Battle."

Revan growled deep in his throat, that meant Bastila, Vandar, and Dodonna were at Tralus; they had obviously fled to Tralus before heading for the Corellian shipyards in the hope of receiving new ships. That Admiral Dodonna had sufficient warships to crush Survok. The worst of it was, Revan had no way of knowing if Bastila had betrayed him, giving the Republic her Battle Meditation ability again.

Revan watched as in the last eight minutes his taskforce moved out of Belinvaia's gravity well and exactly thirty minutes after the first raiders launched, the entire taskforce jumped into hyperspace.

Stars flashed past as the taskforce roared through hyperspace toward Drall. It was only a twenty-minute jump, but if everything went as planned the battle with Drall's defenders should last no longer than the jump itself.

The stars surrounding _Vengeance_ and her taskforce shattered into a thousand pinpricks of light that formed themselves into a star field, the taskforce's target floating slowly through space.

Commander Oree stood beside Revan's command chair, Revan had planned out how they would fight the battle and then had given command of the attack to the young officer; only if something unexpected happened would Revan speak up or take command of the taskforce. He was using this battle to test both Commander Oree and his new flagship in battle before he set his sights on more important targets.

In a calm, commanding voice Jassen Oree gave out his orders, "All fighters are to launch and stay by their home ships; Red Group: Advance on Drall itself. Blue Group: Stay in reserve with _Vengeance_."

Three Destroyers moved forward, their fighter squadrons swarming around them, while _Vengeance_ and the four remaining Destroyers waited at the edge of Drall's gravity well, watching for a trap.

As Red Group neared the planet four squadrons of Republic fighters rose up from the surface. Then three Dreadnaughts came over the planet's left side, their three squadrons rushing to engage the Sith forces.

Revan nodded, his intelligence on Drall had told him this was strength of their defenses, everything was going according to plan.

Commander Oree nodded as well, seeing that nothing was out of the ordinary, "Blue Group: Move to the north pole and begin the ground assault, fighter squadrons are to commence attacks on the major space ports and communications arrays. _Vengeance_ will join in the battle with Red Group."

Blue Group moved up, toward Drall's north pole, while _Vengeance_ advanced on the battle itself.

Ruby and emerald bolts of energy flashed through the blackness of space as Sith and Republic forces engaged each other in Drall's upper orbit. Republic fighter fought with their Sith counterparts, the Republic forces had one more squadron than the Sith, causing the Sith fighters to spend all their time on their survival, rather than harassing the Republic Dreadnaughts.

Revan interlaced his fingers, elbows resting on the armrests of his command chair and spoke slowly to Commander Oree, "Release our fighters to assist Red Group's fighter, before the Republic inflicts any casualties; inform Red Group's leader that we will be joining soon after."

Commander Oree nodded and gave both orders, the hundred-twenty Sith fighters from the _Vengeance_'s hangars rushed forward eager to crush the Republic ships. The new Sith fighters caught the Republic by surprise, destroying twenty fighters on their first pass, then the Republic fighters scattered, Sith fighters breaking off to give pursuit.

The Sith Destroyers, now that the dog fighting fighters were clear, advanced into firing position on the Dreadnaughts. As the Sith Destroyers reached their final position they revealed a hole in their line. A Republic Dreadnaught charged the hole, ready to crush the Sith Destroyers, when _Vengeance_ reached her position.

The Dreadnaught seemed to freeze in space as a column of ruby energy hit it. The first volley shattered its shields, scarring sections of its hull; it was just beginning to come about when the second volley hit it along its midsection. The ship's lights flared out of existence, leaving the entire ship dead in space.

The other two Dreadnaughts began to turn, trying to flee, when Red Group opened fire on one of them. The volley collapsed the Dreadnaught's aft shields and damaged its engines in the same attack. The Dreadnaught's remaining engine sputtered and overheated, leaving the ship to drift into deep space, away from Drall.

The last Dreadnaught was beginning to pull away, with Red Group and _Vengeance_ coming up from behind, when the Sith fighters fell upon it; the Sith fighters had destroyed their Republic foes and had come to join in the fight.

Revan looked at Commander Oree and spoke in a low commanding voice, "Have Red Group recall their fighter to refuel, then order them to Drall's south pole to join in the ground assault; _Vengeance_ and her fighters can destroy this Dreadnaught."

Jassen nodded, "Red Group: Recall your fighters to refuel and re-supply, then move to the south pole and join in the ground assault. After docking, all fighters are to join Blue Group's fighters in their attacks."

Red Group pulled away, their fighters leaving the battle to join their home ships, as _Vengeance_ neared the last remaining Dreadnaught. The fighters swarmed over the Dreadnaught, pounding its weakening shields.

Suddenly the Dreadnaught's shields collapsed, leaving its hull and engines unprotected. _Vengeance_'s curved bow eclipsed the Dreadnaught's unprotected shape as its weapons came into firing range.

Revan stood from his command chair and calmly gave out new orders, "Recall our fighter to their hangars; once the fighters are clear, all weapons open fire on the Dreadnaught." A series of responses replied as the officer to who those orders applied to send out the Dark Lord's orders.

Around the Dreadnaught the Sith fighters fell back, giving the Battlecruiser a clean line of fire; the last fighter cleared the Dreadnaught and then the Battlecruiser's weapons opened fire.

Revan watched as two volleys converged on the Republic ship, when the flash of the second volley faded all that remained of the Dreadnaught was a blackened warped hulk.

Revan smiled as Commander Oree took over, turning _Vengeance_ into orbit around Drall's equator. Everything was going as he had hoped, the Republic had put up little resistance and the defenses on Drall wouldn't be much more difficult.

With a cruel grin hidden by his red and black mask Revan turned to Commander Oree, "Commander, you have command of the taskforce; myself, my apprentice, and HK-47 will join the two regiments that we are sending from the _Vengeance_ to join in the assault. Keep me informed with any new reports on Survok or Ordo's attacks."

Jassen bowed deeply, "As you command Lord Revan, so will I obey."

Revan turned and lead HK into the elevator, they stopped in the training room and Revan sent HK to retrieve his apprentice. With Shalla now in his party Revan took the elevator to the private hangar that had been built and his order.

The door opened to reveal four vessels, sitting in a line beside each other.

The first was the _Ebon Hawk_, which had been repainted, replacing all the white with a matte black; when the painting was done the freighter's color scheme resembled Revan's mask when seen from above, giving it the nickname among the crew of 'Revan's Mask'.

The remaining three ships were heavily modified Sith fighters. One was a solid copper color, with a predator's face on the wings; this was HK-47's fighter, as the droid had insisted that he be allowed to escort its Master at all times. HK had also been uploaded with the latest piloting programs and a learning program that allowed it to update its flight styles.

The next fighter was a regular grey, just as every other Sith fighter. This was Shalla's fighter.

The last fighter was Revan's; it was polished black with two blood red stripes running the length of the fighter's wings.

The modifications were the same to all three fighters, hyperdrives were added to make the fighters independent of large ships, the fighter were armed with heavy laser cannons instead of the standard cannons that armed a normal Sith fighter. Finally, the fighters had heavy shields and reinforced hull armor, making all three extremely deadly.

HK's fighter was the quickest of the three, as there was no life support system in the droid's fighter. Revan's had several unique systems that only he knew about; he had added them before leaving the Star Forge, after probing the Star Forge computers and finding several old technologies that had been overlooked before.

All three boarded their fighters, running pre-launch systems checks before lifting off; they joined four transports from _Vengeance_ carrying the two regiments Revan had ordered to join the assault. Three Sith fighter squadrons joined them, to escort Revan to the planet; the air bounced Revan's fighter as he entered Drall's atmosphere.

They roared over one of Drall's oceans toward the planet's capital city of Arythin City, where the Republic was making a last stand.

Columns of smoke could be visible as they approached the city, Revan released the escorting Sith squadrons to attack the city while he lead the transports, HK-47, and his apprentice to a landing zone near the Sith lines.

Revan smiled cruelly as they saw Arythin City appear on the horizon, eager to enter into combat and kill the Republic troops who dared to defy the might of his Sith Empire. He felt his new lightsaber on his waist and smiled again, he was finally going to get to test his new lightsaber in battle.

Author's Note: Sorry, I said in the summary that Bastila would be brought up, but it looks like she wouldn't be until the next chapter. Hope you like this chapter and keep on reviewing.

P.S.- By the way if I upset anyone with Shalla's appearance, I apologize, but to soften the blow, she does die later though not for a while. (Hint: Bastila-Capture Attempt-A Few Chapters)


	6. Turning to the Light

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.**

Chapter 6: Turning to the Light

With a low roar Revan landed his fighter, dust rising from the ground due to his repulsorlifts. Around him Shalla and HK-47 landed their fighters while _Vengeance_'s transports landed in front of the trio of fighters.

With a grin in anticipation of the nearing combat behind his mask Revan jumped from his fighter's cockpit, more dust rising when his booted feet hit the dirt. Shalla and HK joined him by his fighter, Shalla with her new double bladed lightsaber and HK with its blaster carbine in hand and two vibroswords on its back.

Revan nodded to both of them and drew his own black lightsaber before walking over to the transports deploying _Vengeance_'s two regiments of Sith Troopers.

An officer in a captain's blood red armor saw the Dark Lord approaching and called to the assembled troops, "Attention!" Silver-clad Sith Troopers snapped to attention in perfect unison, Drall's afternoon sun shining off their polished armor.

Revan ignored the troops and walked directly to the captain, "Where is this detachment's commanding officers?"

The captain, still holding himself at attention, pointed to an unarmored officer overseeing the unloading of the heavy blaster cannons assigned to the detachment, "Colonel Basa is over there, my Lord Revan."

Revan walked past the captain toward Colonel Basa; the officer was currently involved in scowling at the droids unloading the heavy blasters, muttering about how slow they were moving. When he noticed someone approaching him from behind he began to turn that scowl on that person, but that scowl turned to fear when the short Colonel realized whom he was scowling at.

Basa was a short man, though still in good physical shape, with a cleanly shaved head except for a stripe of dyed red hair that ran from one temple, around the back of his head to the other temple.

When he saw Revan approaching he quickly fell to on knee, bowing his head, "Greeting my Lord, you honor me and my men with your presence. We did not expect to have you join us in the assault that would bring this weak Republic planet to its knees. I am -."

Revan cut him off with a slash of his hand and the harsh tone of his voice, "Silence. Gather your men and your supplies, Colonel, and do so quickly because while you babble on the Republic is being crush by other elements of our taskforce," a cruel chuckle echoed from behind his mask, giving the laugh an eerie, artificial sound, "and I mean to join in this battle and take part in the Republic's demise personally."

Basa scrambled to his feet, already yelling at men to hurry and form ranks.

Revan smiled as Sith Troopers hustled to form up, then he looked to Arythin City, smoke rising from the outskirts of the city. Soon he would be able to take part in the battle and finally test his new weapon of these hopeless Republic creatures.

ADMIRAL DODONNA'S FLAGSHIP 

In a small mediation room onboard a Republic Cruiser, named the _Hand of Justice_; Bastila Shan knelt before Jedi Master Vandar.

Her head was bowed to her knee, humbly reciting the Jedi Code, the Code she had forsaken to fulfill her lust for power, "…there is no emotion, there is peace…there is no death, there is the Force."

Vandar's small hand reached out and gently lifted her head, "Welcome Padawan Bastila, welcome back to the Jedi Order. Rise"

Bastila stood, her Jedi robes already beginning to feel normal on her body again, "Thank you Master Vandar."

Vandar shook his head, his ears flapping, "Don not thank me Padawan, it was your will that brought you back to the Light." The diminutive Jedi Master sighed, "All I did was allow you to see for yourself what you had become, without the influence of the Dark Side of the Force."

Bastila bowed her head again, "I still have to thank you Master, if you hadn't helped me see what the Dark Side had done to me I may have never turned, the Dark Side would have consumed me; as it did Malak and as it has done to Revan again."

Vandar solemnly shook his head, "Do not give up on Revan so easily Padawan, he may have reclaimed the title of Dark Lord of the Sith, but I do not think he has given himself to the Dark Side completely," he sighed again, "you may return to your quarters Padawan."

Bastila nodded and turned to leave the small meditation room where she had worked to return to the Light Side of the Force, when Admiral Dodonna's voice came over the room's communication speaker, "Master Vandar, we are under attack from a pair of Sith Destroyers; please come to the bridge."

Vandar looked up at the Admiral's voice then began to make his way to the door. He stopped in the open doorway, "If you would like to try Padawan, now may be a good time to try and use your Battle Meditation again, you can access an overview of the battle from this room's computer." With a gesture to the wall-mounted computer beside the door, the small Jedi Master left Bastila alone to her thoughts.

Bastila shivered, even though the room was very comfortable, _Now the Sith are attacking the Core Worlds? That means I may have to face Revan sooner than I had hoped. I only hope I am up to the challenge._

Vandar's comforting teachings floated through her mind, _Trust the Force Padawan and you can overcome the Dark Side within yourself_. But what about the Dark Side from others? If she opened herself to the Force she would have to face Revan's presence through their bond.

Beneath her feet the _Hand of Justice_'s deck shifted as it broke orbit with Tralus.

Outside the viewport she saw one of the Republic Dreadnaughts breaking orbit too, Republic fighters launching from its hangar bay.

Hesitantly she reached out to the Force, something she had been afraid to do since she first saw her reflection after her capture; afraid the Dark Side would take her again. The Force flowed through her revealing all the intricate flows of life onboard the nearby Republic ship.

She felt the nervousness of the crewmen as they approached the Sith Destroyers, she tried to calm them, and the unease of the officers as they worried about the crewman under their command, she used the Force to reassure them and steady their minds.

Then she suddenly felt a dark presence hovering nearby, looming over her.

In fear she withdrew from the Force, and looked at herself in the viewport's reflection, was the Dark Side still there? Waiting for her to grasp it again? Slowly she reached out again, ready to withdraw again if the Dark Side tried to take her, concentrating on touching the Light Side of the Force only, but she still felt that dark presence. However, she stayed with the Force, ready to fight this dark part of herself. She tried to push it from her mind, but for all her efforts it remained.

Strange emotions came from this dark presence, feelings of anger, hate, and confidence. She had known these emotions when she had embraced the Dark Side, but these emotions were still different from the ones she had experienced, almost as if they were someone else's.

Then it all became clear, she was feeling Revan, the Dark Lord of the Sith, through their bond, she was feeling the Dark Side pulsing throughout his body, just as she had when she had saved his life after Malak's attack.

Surprise emerged from the bond from Revan, surprise that the bond still existed, surprise at Bastila and her light presence, then his though reached her, somehow still managing to convey the emotionless feeling Revan almost always spoke in.

_So you have betrayed me again, you have become a puppet of the Jedi Council. I always knew you were weak Bastila, but you barely even fought against the Jedi. I think you even helped them turn you back; you _are_ weak. This I will promise you Bastila, wherever we meet again you will return to my side or you will die the slow and painful death of one who has betrayed the Dark Lord of the Sith. Ha, ha, ha…_

Bastila withdrew from the Force again, Revan's cruel laughter still echoing in her mind.

She couldn't let herself fall to the Dark Side again; she would die before she fell. Besides, the Republic would need her Battle Meditation if they would have any chance at stopping the might of the Sith Empire and the cunning of Darth Revan, even if it meant having to face Revan's dark presence every time she touched the Force.

RUINS OF ARYTHIN CITY, DRALL 

Revan chuckled softly as Bastila fled from the Force, feeling her push it away from her.

So Bastila had returned to the Light to be the Council's lap dog again, he had known she would; Bastila was never truly committed to the Dark Side, once she was captured he'd known they Jedi would turn her and her Battle Meditation against him.

Revan snarled, that still meant he would have to face Bastila's Battle Meditation eventually; he could not scare her away from using the Force forever, she was too stubborn and duty-bound to help the Republic. But, as long as he could continue to drive her away he would continue to do so, hopefully he could make it last long enough that he could crush the Republic beyond repair before Bastila built up the courage to face him in her mind.

However, as Revan thought of what he needed to accomplish before that happened he began to wonder how their bond had come back after fading nearly completely, until just now that is.

In fact their bond had been fading ever since Bastila had begun to fall to the Dark Side, while Malak's captive. Now that Bastila had returned to the Light Side their bond seemed to grow stronger again, as it had during their journeys since Taris.

Then he realized what it all meant, in order for their bond to exist he and Bastila had to be opposites; he was the Dark Side and Bastila was now the Light Side, like to opposite halves, if one swung to join the other their bond weakened and eventually could be severed.

But, no matter why their bond had become noticeable again, Revan now had to pay closer attention to their bond and guard his thoughts to make sure he didn't accidentally share his plans with Bastila. He had barely noticed Bastila's presence in their bond until she had tried to push him away; he had grown accustomed to the bond not existing that he now had to relearn how to guard his thoughts from her as he had before.

A sharp explosion in front of him broke through his thoughts and reminded him of where he was, in the outskirts of Arythin City, a war zone.

Surrounding him marched six squads of Sith Troopers, the rest of the original two regiments from the _Vengeance_ had dispersed to help beat back the main Republic force; now Revan's platoon was one of many Sith groups clearing out the last of the Republic strongholds in the city.

Revan readied his black lightsaber, Shalla and HK-47 on either side of him, as they searched for the source of the explosion.

Revan spotted it first, at the top of a small, smoldering pile of debris that had been an office building at one time were three squads worth of Republic soldiers and a heavy blaster cannon that had overheated after firing.

The Dark Lord smiled cruelly behind his red and black mask and gestured to Shalla and HK-47, "Each of you, take two squads and loop wide to attack the Republic in their flanks; Shalla you take the left, HK you take the right. I'll follow up the middle with the last two squads."

Shalla and HK-47 both nodded respectfully, each replying, "Yes, Master," before running off to fulfill his orders.

Meanwhile, the Republic soldiers had managed to cool their heavy blaster and were beginning to spray thick red bolts on Revan's forces.

Revan activated his lightsaber, the black blades seeming to kill the afternoon sun that touched it, and blocked two scarlet bolts that would have hit his party.

He snarled over his shoulder to the Sith Troopers, "Advance and open fire on the Republic soldiers, try and take out the heavy blaster's gunner." The last word out of his mouth ended in a roar as he batted aside another heavy red beam. He spun his black lightsaber in wide loops, creating a black barrier that protected him and the two squads from the Republic fire as they advanced.

Off to the Republic's right flank blaster fire broke out, HK-47's mechanical voice crying out, "Die you Republic meatbags!"

Revan chuckled at HK's attitude as he continued to lead his force closer and closer to the pile of rubble, with a satisfied smiled he saw the heavy blaster's gunner fall to blaster fire, leaving the weapon silent.

On the Republic's left more blaster fire broke out, Shalla's double purple lightsaber humming through the air, batting aside blaster bolts.

The Republic soldiers turned to face this new threat, ignoring Revan's force and leaving their flanks exposed.

With the blaster fire no longer aimed at him Revan drew in the Force and used it to increase his speed until he was more of a black hooded blur. In mere seconds he reached the top of the rubble pile and lashed out at the surviving Republic soldiers.

Without slowing down he carved through the Republic lines, leaving only steaming corpses and dismembered body parts to remain of the Republic soldiers.

Two Republic soldiers popped up from where they had taken cover only seconds earlier, thus saving themselves. Revan stared down at them though his mask, his lightsaber hissing like snakes as purple energy crackled across the surface.

Both men stared at him in horror, while one man whispered hoarsely, "Darth Revan."

Revan nodded to the man, almost as if the two were only gentlemen introducing themselves, then in one swift motion he decapitated him.

The other man stared at his companion's lifeless body as it slumped down into the hole from which it came, his face drained of any blood as his eyes were drawn to the black-clad figure that had killed the other man.

Revan laughed as the terrified man gripped the rubble in front of him as he watched Revan lift his right hand.

Suddenly his eyes bulged and he stood up as his face took a slightly blue hue, his voice emerged as a strangled squeak as he tried to draw a breath. Finally with one final breathlessly groan the man's body went limp with only Revan's Force grip holding the now dead body up.

With a flick of his hand Revan tossed the corpse aside and strode down the pile to where his forces had gathered. After mentally counting his men he was satisfied to see that they had taken no casualties.

As the Dark Lord reached his forces his comlink beeped, he raised the comlink to his masked face and Commander Oree's voice emerged, "I apologize for disturbing you Lord Revan, but General Sasten reports that the Republic has halted our forces around the Hall of Leaders in the heart of Arythin City; he is requesting your assistance."

Revan growled in frustration, "Send a transport to pick me and my forces, Commander and tell the General I am coming to complete this invasion personally."

Oree's calm voice returned, static eating at his normally smooth accent, "As you command Lord Revan."

Thirty minutes later the transport that Commander Oree had sent dropped Revan and his force off at General Sasten's Headquarters. Built on the frame of a standard Sith transport, but it had been specially modified to be a Headquarters with engines.

Revan, Shalla, and HK-47 walked up the Headquarters' ramp, leaving their six squads to wait nearby.

Revan's annoyance at having to leave the battle filled his thoughts, _Well, now I have to fix another problem caused by these incompetent fools that Malak allowed to reach the higher command levels._ With an exasperated sigh he stepped up the Headquarters Command Room, _Let's see what can be done to salvage what this fool has caused._

The Command Room's double doors opened and immediately the din of dozens of voices competing with each other washed over Revan. Once his ears adjusted to the noise he began to overlook the room to reveal a large room, the walls lined with terminals showing all of the ever possible bit of information on the Sith invasion. In the center of the room was massive holographic display showing the battle around the Hall of Leaders.

General Sasten, an elderly man with a surprisingly stiff posture for a man of his age, was leaning on the edge of the display with his shoulders hunched in frustration. An aide whispered something to him and he turned as Revan walked up, "Thank you for coming Lord Revan, I deeply apologize for requesting your presence, but you are a much more superior tactician than I am. I know that you will see some way to break the Republic lines." The General gestured to the display behind him.

Revan silently looked over the situation and was horrified at what he saw; only his mask prevented everyone from seeing the shock on his face.

This fool has allowed himself to be drawn in like a nerf marked for the slaughter. The Republic had baited the Sith and they had taken it. 

The Sith forces outnumbered their Republic foes almost three-to-one, but Sasten had allowed them to be so thoroughly spread out that they were almost on the verge of being overrun. Revan glanced at the fool, and nearly fell in surprise.

The fool had the look of someone proud of his efforts; he had no idea that he nearly doomed the invasion with his foolish actions.

Revan turned to HK-47, the annoyance was clear in the Dark Lord's body language, even for the copper assassin droid.

HK-47 looked at Revan, "Do you desire for me to blast something Master?"

Revan nodded slowly, "Yes HK, I do." Then almost lazily he pointed to Sasten.

The General barely had time to scream before his lifeless body fell to the ground.

The Dark Lord glanced to the aide that had told the former General of Revan's arrival, "Dispose of this trash and find his first officer." The aide mumbled his understanding as he hauled the corpse of Sasten away.

Revan turned back to the display and sigh, now to try and fix this. He spoke out loudly; so that his orders were clearly understood, "Have all Sith forces pull back from the main engagement. Only units that are unable in fall back safely are to stay. Next, have our Sith fighters begin attacking the Republic positions to cover the ground troops and use concentrated attacks to free those units that are pinned down." Aides and low ranking officers hustled to send out his orders. With a sigh he continued, "Inform me when all troops have reached a safe distance from the Republic lines."

As his orders were sent out Revan contacted his flagship.

Commander Oree responded, "What is your wish my Lord?"

Revan glanced at the display as troops began to withdraw, "Move _Vengeance_ into position to bombard Arythin City and prepare to open fire on the city when I next contact you."

Oree responded, uncertainty in his voice, "Yes, Lord Revan."

It took forty minutes for the Sith forces to fall back out of the heart of Arythin City, meanwhile Sith fighters assaulted the Republic, keeping them effectively bottled up in their positions.

When the final unit reported that they were clear Revan sprung into action, "Call off our fighters and have them remain on stand by." On the display the Sith fighters obediently peeled away from their attacks, leaving the city completely clear of any Sith forces.

With the city clear he contacted Commander Oree, "Open fire Commander."

As Revan returned his comlink to his belt he watched the display, holographic representations of the bombardment showed the Republic forces being caught in the out in the open as they had begun to advance out of their defensive positions.

Explosions ripped through the exposed Republic forces, destroying the building and piles of rubble they had used to halt the Sith invasion. The bombardment rained down destruction on the entire Republic-held section of the city, destroying anything that was caught in the blast.

The bombardment lasted for fifty minutes, until the entire city was enveloped in a huge column of dust thrown up from devastated city.

When the bombardment ended the Sith forces that had pulled back rushed forward looking for survivors in the now flattened city.

Revan nodded in satisfaction and stepped back from the display, when the sounds of approaching foots steps brought his mind back to the task of replacing the deceased General Sasten.

The aide he had sent walked up with a middle-aged man beside him. The man had jet-black hair that hung just past his ears, with an equally black mustache to match. His eyes were as colorless as grey stone and just as cold, his gaze running over the Command Room before falling on Revan.

He stopped before the Dark Lord, snapping to an attention that seemed to be as stiff as the creases on his grey and black uniform, the insignia of a Lieutenant General on his collar and gave Revan a sharp salute, "Lt. General Nassian Faile reporting as ordered, Lord Revan."

Revan looked over him for a few moments before speaking, "You would be General Sasten's first officer?"

The black haired man nodded stiffly, "I was Lord Revan."

Revan smiled through his mask, "Well Lt. General Faile, I would like to hear what you would have done in the attack on Aryhtin City." Revan waved a hand to the display and the man stepped up to the display, while an aide reset the holo to the positions of both sides before the assault had begun.

Faile studied the holo for about five minutes before he began to explain to the Dark Lord his plan; while the aide typed in his orders to make the holo move and show his plan in action.

When he finished with his explanation the Republic had been routed, the city taken, and all with minimal damage to the Sith and the city itself.

Revan nodded thoughtfully at the end result of Faile's strategy before turning to the stone eyed man, "Excellent strategy _General_ Faile, I hope that in future engagements you have the same ability at conquering our foes."

The man's eyes widened as he realized what Revan meant and bowed deeply, "Thank you Lord Revan, I look forward to leading our forces in more glorious victories over those that would oppose the might of the Sith Empire."

Revan nodded absently to the man as he lead Shalla and HK-47 out of the Command Room, out of the Headquarters, and back to their escort of Sith Troopers.

Of the six that had arrived with them only two of the squads remained, the others having been ordered to help secure the city.

Revan and what remained of his patrol boarded another transport that was to take them to oversee the ruins of the city.

Revan stood behind the pilot as the transport approached the still smoking city. Revan's mind was grim as it fell to the next challenge that lay past this conquest and the eventuality that Bastila would overcome her fear of facing him and she would be able to use her Battle Meditation against him; something he wished would never happen.

Author's Note: A thank you to all who reviewed this story so far and for all of your comments, especially about Revan and Bastila's bond (I had completely forgotten they even had it, oops!).


	7. Aftermath

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.**

Chapter 7: Aftermath

Ash crunched under Revan's boots as he walked down what had once been a beautiful boulevard in Arythin City, the capital city of Drall. Smoke still rose from some of the large piles of rubble as gas and other fuels were slowly being consumed.

Revan nodded slightly, the Republic had fought hard to hold on to Arythin City and had nearly defeated the Sith invasion, though that was mainly because of the foolish actions of former General Sasten, who had commanded the invasion. Even when Revan had arrived to try and salvage the mess that fool had made it had been beyond anyone's help. So Revan had withdrawn all Sith forces and ordered his flagship, the _Vengeance_, the bomb the city into dust.

Now all that remained of this once beautiful city was a smoldering pile of ash and rubble, with a few large craters scattered about for good measure.

Behind him were Shalla and HK-47, as well as two remaining squads from the _Vengeance_ that had not been pulled away to fight the Republic, as he surveyed the destruction.

Even though Arythin City, and Drall as a whole, was officially captured other squads of Sith Troopers were patrolling the wrecked city, looking for any sign of an underground hideout from where Republic soldiers could ambush the Sith garrison.

In orbit of the planet was the rest of the taskforce that Revan had lead to victory over the Republic. Commander Oree was on the _Vengeance_, overseeing the setting of the Sith picket lines. Yesterday the first of the Republic reconnaissance ships had begun arriving, trying to puzzle out the sudden silence from Drall. With the picket lines set up nothing would enter or leave this system without the blessing of the Sith Fleet. So far three reconnaissance ships had tried to spy on Drall and her new masters, but none had made it out.

Reports had arrived on the other two attacks and the other raids earlier this morning under a heavy inscription code; once it had been decoded Revan had been the first one to receive it. Revan was reading Admiral Ordo's and Survok's reports on their attacks.

Admiral Ordo's attack had been a complete success, with all resistance ending eleven hours after the Sith had begun their assault. Now Admiral Ordo had assembled all ships under his command at Corsin and was already sending out raids to probe nearby systems for weaknesses.

Admiral Survok's attack hadn't been as successful as the assault on Corsin, but he did manage to drive the fleet defending talus away, unfortunately the Republic forces took few loses. But worse still was that while they were nearing the end of the deployment of the Sith invasion force the Republic had returned with Admiral Dodonna's forces from Tralus as well.

Fortunately, the Republic hadn't shown the organization or drive that came form Bastila's Battle Meditation; so either Bastila hadn't built up the courage to face Revan through their bond or the Republic had not thought her skills necessary to defeat Survok's forces.

If that was the case they were right, Survok and his forces had been forced to abandon Talus, leaving a third of his ground forces behind or risk more damage than his taskforce had already taken in the early stages of the battle.

Revan stopped in his tracks, stomping on a cinder in anger and tightened his grip on the datapad to the point that it snapped in two. Talus had been unnecessary as a staging post in his plan to conquer the Republic, he had only intended to use Talus as a distraction while he targeted the richer planets in the Corellian Sector, but this was still a defeat for the Sith Fleet. Revan clenched his fists at his side, he had underestimated the Republic, he'd thought they were much more worn out, yet this lost revealed that the Republic still had some life left in it.

Revan smiled cruelly, lifting his comlink to his lips, without slowing his pace, "_Vengeance_ this is Darth Revan."

Commander Oree's static edged voice replied, "What are your orders Lord Revan?"

"Contact Admiral Survok, order him to take his taskforce to the Star Forge for repairs. Then you are to contact Sith Master Guan on the Star Forge, have him send me an update on his progress and transfer four Sith Destroyers to Drall immediately."

Oree replied crisply through the static, "As you command Lord Revan, I will send the orders myself."

Revan nodded, "Shalla, HK-47, and myself will be returning to the _Vengeance_ in a few minutes."

Before Jassen Oree could say anything more Revan deactivated his comlink and returned it to his belt.

Shalla and HK-47 stepped up when Revan halted their progress down the road. As they stopped the two squads of Sith Troopers fanned out around them, forming a protective circle.

Revan glanced at them both, "We're returning to the ship, call your fighters."

He suited actions for words, pulling a special comlink from hi belt and activating it. No voice emerged from it, in fact there was no speaker on the comlink, instead there was a small, primitive looking screen; when he activated it a single green blip flashed from the upper left corner. Revan pressed the only button on the comlink and the green blip began to move toward the center of the screen.

It was a call beacon; with it Revan could call his fighter to him as long as it was within the comlink's range. Beside him Shalla was using a similar beacon to call her fighter; HK only stood still with its antenna on its head extended, when Revan had up loaded the flight programs into the assassin droid he had installed the call beacon in its core, allowing it greater range.

It took their fighters about four minutes to home in on the signals and then the three fighters, Revan's black and red one, Shalla's gray one, and HK copper fighter, roared over their heads before landing on the charred road just ahead of the patrol.

Revan turned to face the patrol's commanding officer, a major in blood red armor, "Major, I return command of the patrol to you, continue along the panned patrol route."

The officer snapped to a stiff attention, his patrol beginning to reform their ranks behind him, "At once, Lord Revan, we live to serve."

The Sith Troopers all called out in unison after their officer stopped speaking, "All hail Lord Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith."

Revan nodded and headed for his fighter, Shalla and HK-47 at his sides.

As the patrol marched off into the ruins of Arythin City Revan climbed into his fighter. The cockpit lowered and locked into place, the engines already humming at stand-by.

As Revan clipped on his restraints and brought his fighter from stand-by mode to full readiness, Shalla and HK-47 readied their fighters. When both signaled that they were ready Revan fed power to his repulsolifts; the black and red fighter rose three meters of the ground smoothly.

The fighter's landing struts locked into place with a faint clang, then Revan fed more power into the fighter's engines, sending the fighter zooming across the charred and cratered landscape.

Revan's fighter shot off the land and over the ocean near Arythin City, finally he pulled up and gave the engines all the power; the ocean rippled as his engines fought Drall's gravity.

His fighter's hull shook, Drall's atmosphere vibrating against it, the blue sky fading into blackness until the clear view of space filled the viewport.

Now free of the Atmosphere Revan gently turned his fighter until _Vengeance_'s deadly shape filled the fighter's cockpit.

As Revan angled his flight for the private hangar his fighter's comm. Unit crackled to life, Jassen Oree's confident voice filling the cockpit, "Welcome back Lord Revan, the Sith Fleet is at your command."

Revan replied coldly, "Have you sent my orders to Admiral Survok and the Star Forge Commander?"

Commander Oree's voice held firmly, "Yes, Lord Revan, the ships from the Star Forge should arrive here tomorrow. Admiral Survok will take longer to reach the Star Forge for repairs, several of his ships engines were damaged in the battle with the Republic." Oree paused and the comm. Went silent for a moment, Revan was sure he could here Oree speaking to someone faintly in the background. After a few moments Oree returned, "I apologize Lord Revan, we just received a message from Admiral Ordo, his forces have successfully ambushed a large Republic convoy near the Ghorman system. He reports capturing seven medium transports and destroying ten more. Of the escorting force he destroyed five Republic Dreadnaughts and one Republic Cruiser. He regrets to report that two Dreadnaughts and six medium transports managed to escape him due to the small size of his force."

Revan paused long enough to give control of his fighter to the hangar's automated landing system, "How many ships were in his force Commander?"

Jassen paused as if to refer to the report, when he spoke his voice was filled with amazement, "My Lord Revan, Admiral Ordo only had three Destroyers in his force."

Revan smiled, "Quite an impressive success," he stopped again as his fighter landed in the private hangar and the cockpit began to open, "Commander Oree, contact Admiral Ordo and link the connection to my ready room on the bridge, I will be arriving shortly."

Commander Oree's voice came through clearly, they were using the ship communications system now, "As you command Lord Revan, I will see to it at once."

Revan smiled and jumped down from his fighter, Shalla and HK-47 walking over to join him.

Shalla stopped before him and bowed deeply, "If it pleases you Master, I would like to return to my quarters and rest before our next training session."

Revan's head snapped around and locked on his apprentice's face so hard that Shalla flinched under his masked glare. Revan let his anger edge its way into his voice, "Are you tired my young apprentice? We have done nothing but walk through a destroyed city and cut weak, foolish Republic soldiers today and you are tired?"

Shalla gulped, but couldn't break her gaze with Revan.

Revan snarled and walked away toward the private turbolift that would take them to the training room.

Revan stepped into the turbolift with Shalla, her face ghostly pale, and HK-47 following close behind him. With a slow hum the turbolift rose to the training room and came to a stop, its door sliding open.

Revan paused then pointed to the sparring area, "HK-47, you will train my apprentice in an endurance test until I return. She must learn to no longer grow tired from such little exercise."

The copper assassin droid nodded, already drawing its two vibroswords, "Acknowledgement: As you command Master." The droid stepped off the turbolift, Shalla following wearily, only glancing at her Master for a moment.

Revan hissed angrily at her, "I would advise you to cure your tiredness quickly, my young apprentice, I can not afford to have an apprentice that tires this quickly."

Shalla straightened her stance, drawing on the Force to wipe her weariness from her body, and caught up with HK-47 in the sparring area, her lightsaber already in hand.

The turbolift door closed to the sound of Shalla's double-bladed lightsaber hissing as it blocked HK's vibroswords as the two began to spar.

The turbolift rose to _Vengeance_'s bridge and opened to reveal the same busy, low chatter found on any warship still in a hostile sector.

Commander Oree was standing at the head of the catwalk that ran down the center of the crewpit, overseeing the bridge crew as they ran endless system checks. The tall officer saw Revan step onto the bridge and immediately walked to the Dark Lord as fast as he could go without seeming to truly rush, halting before the Revan to make a low bow of his head and a stiff salute.

Jassen Oree lifted his head from his chest and locked gazes with Revan's red and dark mask, "The Sith Fleet is at your command Lord Revan. I am pleased to report that our patrols have destroyed another Republic reconnaissance ship as it tried to spy on our operations here."

Revan crossed his arms and replied with his usual emotionless hiss, "Good work Commander." The Dark Lord turned to face the door leading to his bridge ready room, "Have you managed to contact Admiral Ordo?"

Oree spoke as Revan stepped through the ready room's doorway, "We have Lord Revan, he is waiting for you on a private channel." Jassen was cut off as the ready room door slid shut.

Revan strode over to his ready room's desk and activated its holoprojector.

With a low blue glow Admiral Ordo appeared, though only a foot tall, dressed in a complete Sith Admiral's uniform, however, Revan noticed that Canderous still wore the symbol of his clan just below his rank insignia.

Canderous's small figure bowed his head respectfully, "Greetings Lord Revan, I trust your battles have been successful?"

Revan nodded grimly, "Yes, Drall is under my control and I am awaiting reinforcements to launch a second attack." Revan paused to take a seat at his desk, "Unfortunately, Admiral Survok's attack failed to secure Talus, I will be taking it next."

The Mandalorian warrior snarled, "I knew that Survok would, he doesn't have the mind to lead large fleets into battle."

Revan nodded, "Whatever the reason, Survok is returning to the Star Forge to repair his taskforce, then he will join me under my direct command." Revan interlaced his fingers and gazed at Canderous, "In the mean time I would like to congratulate you are your recent victory over the Republic near Ghorman, well done. In fact, I was hoping to here what you had planned to do next?"

Canderous hesitated, obviously caught off guard by Revan's change in subjects. After a few moments he continued, "Well, to be honest Lord Revan, I was under the impression that I was to hold my position until the Corellian Sector was secured, then you would lead the conquering of the Sesswenna Sector personally."

Revan nodded, "That is true, however, I am giving you permission to transfer ten more Sith Destroyers to your command and expand your attacks to nearby systems. Except for Coruscant, I want to lead the conquest of the Republic capital myself. But, other than that you are free to attack any planet you believe within you grasp."

Canderous bowed to one knee, his fists planted on either side of his against the deck beneath his feet, "I will do this with great zeal, my Lord. I willingly accept you orders and will do my best to send the fear that Corsin and Drall feel throughout the Republic."

Revan nodded, "I have no doubt you will, Admiral Ordo. May the Republic quake at the mere mention of the Sith Fleet under the command of Admiral Ordo."

Canderous rose to his feet again, "And may the galaxy shake at the mention of Darth Revan, the Dark Lord of the Sith, ruler of the Sith Empire."

With that the transmission was cut, plunging the ready room into darkness only held at bay by faint backlights lining the edge of the walls and permanent furniture.

With a sigh Revan rose to his feet and exited his ready room to the bridge.

Commander Oree turned to face him as he entered the bridge, "Lord Revan, the first of the ships from the Star Forge are beginning to arrive."

Revan nodded and sat down in his command chair, "Very good Commander, have them enter into orbit with the rest of the Fleet."

Jassen Oree nodded at walked off to give the Dark Lord's orders.

Revan sighed and pulled up the information that Survok's forces had on Talus and slowly began to pour over it, looking for a weakness in their defenses.


	8. A Test

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.**

Chapter 8:  A Test

Talus spun slowly beyond the meditation room's viewport as Bastila meditated. She inhaled deeply, feeling her stress bleed away.

Cautiously Bastila touched the Force and for a few wonderful moments there was barely any sense of Revan, the Dark Lord had taken to guarding their bond closely and as a result diminished his presence.

Further encouraged by the lack of Revan's presence she reached out further, feeling the life pulsing from the surrounding Republic Fleet and stretching further she felt the even greater life on Talus bellow and the residue of pain from the Sith invasion.

Suddenly Revan's presence exploded in her mind, if she had thought his dark presence had been terrifying before on Tralus, it was smothering now.

Revan's thoughts echoed in her mind, somehow seeming as emotionless as if the Dark Lord was sitting next to her. _I see you Bastila, I'm coming for you._

Bastila tore herself from the Fore, tears running down her face in fear, in fear have how she yearned to taste the darkness that pulsed from Revan.

Her thoughts raced, increased by her fear. _How can I use the Force if every time I do Revan is there? He will drive me from the Force and the Sith will crush the Republic beneath its unstoppable power; all while I cower from the mere thought of facing Revan's thoughts._

Bastila collapsed to the floor sobbing, disgusted at herself for being unable to control her fear of Revan, yet still crying out of fear knowing she would have to face his presence again if she planned to try and repair the damage to the Republic she had helped cause.

Faintly alarms rang outside the meditation room's door, the room's alarms had been removed to allow the Jedi onboard an undisturbed place to meditate. Below her feet the _Hand of Justice_'s deck vibrated as the Cruiser moved from its orbit around Talus.

Wiping tears and loose hair from her face, Bastila stumbled to open the door; the sheer volume of the alarms clapped her in the face like a slap; Republic soldiers rushed by, off to fulfill their own orders, ignoring her completely.

Her mind still racing with worries and fears, Bastila boarded a nearby turbolift and punched in the level for the bridge.  
The turbolift door opened and Bastila stepped onto the bridge; Admiral Dodonna and Master Vandar stood in front of a large holoprojector, the layout of the Talus system glowing faintly before them with small green and red symbols moving across it.

The Republic Fleet was represented by eleven green symbols pulled away from Talus, innumerable smaller symbols swarming around the larger representing the Republic fighters.

However, if the Republic symbols were innumerable, then the Sith Fleet was infinite. Twenty red symbols approached Talus, the Sith Fighters appearing as more of a red swarm then individual fighters as they rush to engage the Republic Fleet, before the bigger ships attacked.

Bastila's eyes locked onto the largest Sith symbol, easily eight times larger than the Sith Destroyers surrounding it and the Republic Cruisers that formed the core of the Republic Fleet. Even without knowing its name she remembered a faint glimpse she gotten from Revan when she faced him that was his flagship; Darth Revan was here in person.

A part of Bastila almost fled back to the meditation room in fear, but stubbornness kept her feet planted even though she couldn't take another step forward.

Vandar noticed Bastila standing in the turbolift doorway and the wizened Jedi Master slowly walked over to the young Padawan. He reached her side and gently pulled her toward the holoprojector.

He stopped her when she was standing close enough to make out the status numbers scrolling by each ship. The diminutive Jedi spoke softly to Bastila, "Padawan Bastila, if you could use your Battle Meditation now, we might be able to repel the Sith."

Bastila nodded stiffly and sat on the deck, facing the holoprojector. Taking a deep breath she reached out to the Force, trying to ignore Revan and concentrate on using her Battle Meditation skills only, trying to ignore Revan.

But the moment she opened herself to the power of the Force Revan's presence was there, tempting her, trying to pull her back to the Dark Side.

Sweat ran down her face, but Bastila was barely aware of it as she tried to fight off Revan's dark presence. She pushed herself; trying to at least use her Battle Meditation to help the Republic for a short while, at least until Revan drove her from the Force.

Revan's thoughts filler her mind, _The Dark Side calls to you Bastila. I know you long to feel its power again. You can have the power you know what to do._

Bastila could feel the Dark Side through Revan, she remembered the feeling of its power, and the feeling of invincibility you had when the Force was at her full command; the feeling as the Force raced through her body and made her enemies cower at her feet.

Revan's voice echoed through her mind, urging more memories to her mind, _You remember don't you? You remember how the Dark Side feels. Now look at you Bastila, you were once second only to me, the apprentice to the Dark Lord of the Sith; now you are weak, a shadow of your former self._

Bastila reached out, still trying to focus her Battle Mediation, even as her soul cried out in anguish as she heard the truth in Revan's words.

Revan's thought took a new alluring quality as it seemed to fill her body, _I know how you are suffering Bastila. It can end, you can free yourself from this, you can stand by my side as we lead the Sith to victory, all you must do is join me. Then you can be at my side once again, my love._

Bastila nearly collapsed as the complex emotions that came from those final two words, her own and Revan's, burst into her mind and raged through her body. As she savored and hated the feeling her control on the Battle Meditation was lost completely and it flowed freely with the ebb of her racing emotions.

Revan hadn't left her, her only had paused to left his words sink in. Bastila could feel his grief at losing her, she reached out to him, _Do you truly mean that? Does this mean you still care for me?_

Revan didn't answer, only a few thoughts came through as Bastila felt her trance weakening, _Return to me Bastila, return to me and we will rule the galaxy together._

Bastila fought to maintain her trance, to stay connected to Revan, _I want to my love, but I'm not sure that I can._

But Revan's presence began to fade as someone tried to bring her out her trance. His thoughts slowly faded from her mind, _Don't leave me Bastila, I long to have you with me again, don't go._

Bastila still fought to continue her trance, but whoever was waking her was too powerful, yet she fought on savoring Revan's presence. She felt herself drawn to Revan's words, to the promise that filled them, and of how she longed to have his love directed to her.

As her trance faded and Revan's mind withdrew she realized she was still using her Battle Meditation, but it was to help the Sith. In despair she withdrew from the Force and let whoever was waking her from her trance accomplish their goal.

The fading emotions From Revan that poured through their bond tore at her heart, but Bastila withdrew herself from the Force completely as she awoke; to hide how close she had come to falling again.

She opened her eyes, sweat poring down her face, making her Jedi robes cling to her body. Vandar's concerned face was locked on her as she slowly clamed her racing heart.

Vandar sighed and set a hand on Bastila's shaking shoulder to steady it, but instead of speaking to her he turned to face Admiral Dodonna, "We need to withdraw Admiral, this battle is beyond our power to win."

The Admiral looked from Vandar to Bastila, then back to Vandar as she understood what the small Jedi Master meant. The battle hardened leader nodded sternly and turned to face the rest of the bridge, "All ships are to withdraw in an orderly retreat to Tralus; orders for the precise withdrawal order will follow." With a heavy sigh the Admiral walked away from the holoprojector.

Vandar turned back to Bastila, who was still seated and trying to recover from her ordeal.

Bastila wiped tears from her eyes, "I'm sorry Master Vandar, but Darth Revan was their, through our bond, he was tempting me with the Dark Side through him; I could barely resist him at all and keep my Battle Mediation from going wild, he made lost control of it for a few moments just before you woke me."

Vandar shook his head, "It was not I that woke you Padawan, however, I think it would be prudent to watch your encounters with Revan more closely in the future; especially when you are using your Battle Mediation." The wizened Jedi Master sighed, "Until then I think you should return to your quarters and rest."

Bastila nodded and rose to her feet, "As you command Master Vandar." With a slightly unsteady stride she boarded a turbolift and headed into the heart of the ship, returning to her quarters.

**THE _VENGEANCE_, TALUS**

An explosion erupted from the core of a Republic Dreadnaught as two Sith Destroyers attacked it from above.

Beyond the fading explosion the remaining five ships of the Republic Fleet, those that hadn't escaped into hyperspace, waited.

Smaller explosions flared in and out of existence around the remaining Republic ships as squadrons of Sith Fighters assaulted them.

Beside his command chair, Commander Oree spoke with a confident voice, "Red and Gold Groups: Purse the remnant of the Republic Fleet. Blue Group: Begin the ground assault on Talus. Green Group: Move to secure the outer edges of the system."

Revan stood and spoke quickly, "Helm: Bring the _Vengeance_ to flank speed; maneuver us to target the Dreadnaught at the rear of the Republic Fleet."

The Sith Battlecruiser's deck thrummed as it left the rear of the Sith Fleet, racing over the advancing Sith Destroyers at a speed far greater than a ship its size should have. Revan smiled, the schematics on the Star Forge hadn't been lying when it had set the Battlecruiser's flank speed at a third faster then the Sith Destroyers.

Revan turned to face Commander Oree, "Prepare boarding parties and order them to try and capture as much of the crew as they can; Admiral Dodonna and Bastila were on one of the ships that escaped and I want to know where they went."

The tall officer nodded, "I will see to it at once Lord Revan."

Revan paused, feeling another presence in the Force, a Light Side presence.

The Dark Lord slowly walked past Oree, "Have three squads of Elite Sith Troopers sent to the _Ebon Hawk_, I intend to lead the boarding myself."

Commander Oree's acknowledgement was swallowed as Revan entered his private turbolift. The turbolift slowed and the door opened on the training room.

HK-47 stood guard by the training room's only door, while Shalla sat meditating, her rage bubbling in her mind, in the center of the room.

Shalla's eyes snapped open when Revan stepped into the training room, she rose to her feet in one smooth motion, her double-bladed lightsaber hanging on her belt.

Revan smiled behind her mask, his hard-hardened training with Shalla had turned her into a harden warrior. With one final test she would be ready to take the title of Darth.

She had fully embraced the Dark Side as well, her once beautiful skin had taken on a gray pallor. Slowly simmering anger, heighten by her meditating and barely reigned in, was just below the surface of her cool calculating exterior, ready to be released at any moment.

His apprentice approached him with a cat-like grace, weary rings surrounded her eyes, but she still was fully alert, a benefit of the intense training she had received.

Revan gave his apprentice a final glance, then spoke with his usual emotionless, "You have advanced far my apprentice. Your skills in the Force are nearing their peak, but before you can take the title of Darth you must past one final test. You must slay a Jedi." Revan paused as HK stepped beside him, "I have felt a Jedi on a Republic Dreadnaught we have captured, you shall accompany me on a boarding operation and we will see if you are worthy of the title of Darth."

Shalla bowed deeply, "I am ready my Master."

Revan nodded and boarded the turbolift, HK and Shalla joining him silently. With a low hum the turbolift headed for Revan's private hangar.

The three of them entered into the hangar. As they entered Revan saw the three squads of Elite Sith Troopers, dressed in their new uniforms. They had disposed of their all red armor and had adopted uniforms that vaguely resembled Revan' armor.

The Elites had painted their armor a pure glossy black, then they had added blood red designs that resembled those covering Revan's.

Revan's masked glance flicked over them, and then motioned for them to board the freighter. Revan approached the red and black freighter ahead of them, pausing only for T3-M4 to lower the ramp.

The silver maintenance droid beeped and warbled happily as Revan boarded the ship.

Revan glanced at the droid and nodded slightly, "Yes, it is good to see you again T3. Ready the ship for combat, we a going to board a hostile vessel."

T3 loosed another string of incomprehensible beeps and then rolled off.

Revan turned to HK-47, "HK, see that the Elites are ready in the cargo hold and ready to unload quickly, then take the turret, their could still be Republic fighters about."

The copper assassin droid nodded, "Acknowledgement: As you command Master."

Revan and Shalla made their way to the _Hawk_'s cockpit, where Revan took the pilot seat with Shalla in the copilot.

As they ran system checks on the Revan saw a small part of the battle through the open hangar and was gratified to see one of the other Dreadnaughts explode violently as the _Vengeance_ opened fire.

As for the Dreadnaught they were going to board, it was facing the full power of the Battlecruiser's ion cannon batteries, sending ion energy skittering over its surface as its electronics shorted out.

Already transports were launching as the Dreadnaught's shields began to fail.

HK's mechanical voice came over the intercom, "Statement: The Elites are ready Master and I am in the turret."

Revan nodded and took off into space, the freighter's overpowered engines groaning as she lifted off.

The turret fired a few shots shortly after lift off and a small explosion shook the freighter. HK spoke over the intercom again, "Excitement: One Republic fighter destroyed."

Revan smiled as he directed the freighter toward the Dreadnaught's forward hangar, just under the bridge. All of the Sith transports were docked with the Dreadnaught's airlocks to the aft and Revan wanted Shalla to have her chance to kill the Jedi he'd felt.

The freighter landed and Revan hastily slapped the automatic power down sequence, already rising from his seat, his hand unclipping his black lightsaber.

The Sith Elites and HK-47 had already exited the freighter and formed a perimeter when Revan and Shalla stepped down the ramp.

As Revan gathered the Elites to set off the hangar doors opened and a group of Republic soldiers entered the hangar. The Republic soldiers hesitated, surprised to find Sith on the opposite end of the ship from the transports, but they recovered and opened fire.

With a _snap-hiss_ Revan activated his lightsaber and smoothly blocked the ruby bolts that were fired at him. Republic soldiers began dropping and an officer near the back shout something to his party.

Revan focused on the officer, drawing on the Force, suddenly the officer collapsed in a heap as he passed out. Knowing the officer could have important information that he sought, Revan released him, if a little reluctantly.

From over his head, a volley of grenades soared toward the Republic soldiers. In the confusion caused by the explosions the Elites attacked. When the smoke cleared all but the officer and one other soldier were dead.

Revan gestured to the Elites, "Put these two men on the ship; two men will remain behind to guard the ship with HK-47 until we return."

As the Elites moved to comply HK approached him, "Statement: Forgive me Master, but why must I stay here? I would much rather go with you and blast more Republic meatbags."

Revan chuckled, "Don't worry HK, we won't long and besides, you'll have a better chance to blast some Republic meatbags here; this is one of the few forward hangars and the Dreadnaught's crew will need it to escape."

HK-47's held his blaster carbine high and ready, "Excitement: Oh, thank you Master, I look forward to the Republic meatbags' attempts to take this hangar."

Revan smiled, the droid's antics still brought a smile to his face and turned to join the rest of his party by the hangar door.

With the two men safely bound and onboard the _Hawk_ and HK-47 and the two Elites standing guard, Revan lead the rest of his party through the hangar door. The Elites rushed forward, low to the ground with their blasters ready, experience from many other boarding operations and old battle instincts kicking in. Revan kept himself alert, carefully searching for the Jedi, yet still ready to throw up a Force barrier if they came under attack.

They secured most of the hangar deck without any problems, except that all the turbolifts had been disabled. Revan also found the Jedi's Force presence on the Dreadnaught's bridge and they steadily made their way there.

When they finally found an operational turbolift it was well guarded. Ten Republic soldiers were behind a wall of crates; while a tripod mounted light repeating blaster sat in a gap between the middle crates.

Revan's party paused just around the corner from the Republic position; the hallway leading up to the turbolift was long with no cover until you reached the Republic position.

Revan glanced at Shalla, then back to the squad leaders as they planned how to take the position. He sighed then laid out his plan, "This is what we do. Shalla steps out into the open and draws the Republic's attention, while as many Elites as can fit around the corner give her supporting fire. Next, I'll use the Force to throw half dozen grenades at the Republic. Once the grenades go off everyone advances, Shalla and me in the front and keep the Republic's heads down with the Elites following." He looked around to see if there were any questions, "Alright let's go."

Once everyone was ready, Shalla stepped around the corner wit her violet double lightsaber humming in her hands. A startled shout came down the hall before the Republic opened fire.

Shalla easily blocked the soldiers' blaster fire, but when the repeating blaster opened up she created a wall of Force to absorb some of the blaster shots. Elites leaned around the corner and pored fire down the hallway, streaking the walls with burn marks.

Calmly focusing, Revan use the Force to lift six grenades and activated them. Then he quickly threw them with a push through Force at the Republic.

The grenades exploded and Shalla and he charged forward, lightsabers humming.

As the Republic began to recover Revan fired bolts of Force lightning into them, creating new screams to join those of the other injured soldiers.

In the thick smoke Revan lashed out with his lightsaber, screams echoed down the hallway as two black bars hummed through the smoke.

As the smoke cleared all the Republic soldiers lay dead, while there were no casualties on the Sith side.

Stepping past the Republic corpses Revan boarded the turbolift, which apparently was a cargo lift. When his entire party was onboard Revan sent the cargo lift to the level closest to the Dreadnaughts bridge.

The cargo lift's doors opened to a desert deck as Revan's boarding party slowly crept forward.

They found another turbolift without running into any Republic forces, but it was a small turbolift, with only enough room for Revan and Shalla.

Revan left the Elites on the deck, ordering them to guard the turbolift until they returned. As the Elites began setting up some cover Revan and his apprentice stepped into the turbolift and ascended toward the bridge.

As they neared the bridge and the Jedi Revan found himself smiling, he was going to enjoy this.

Author's Note: Oh, a cliff hangar. The next chapter gets real cool with a lot of action. I hope all you Bastila fans liked her part. And for any Carth fans, he makes an appearance in either the next chapter or the one after that.

Until the next chapter, thanks for reading and keep on reviewing!


	9. A Ritual

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.**

Chapter 9: A Ritual

As their turbolift rose upward Shalla fidgeted nervously, fixing her robes and repeatedly checking her double bladed lightsaber that sat dormant in her hands.

Not that Revan could blame her, they were in the heart of a hostile Republic Dreadnaught moving to take on its entire bridge crew by themselves.

_But, even with those odds these Republic fools don't stand a chance against us_, Revan thought with a chuckle.

However, the true source of Shalla's nervousness lay not with the odds they faced, but if she would be able to defeat the Jedi Knight on the Dreadnaught's bridge, thus proving herself worthy of the title Darth.

As they neared the bridge Revan calmly held his black double bladed lightsaber at the ready, his thumb ready to activate it. Glancing at his apprentice he spoke with the usual emotionless voice, however, anticipation managed to slip in unnoticed, "Now remember my apprentice, you must defeat the Jedi alone, I can not help you at all even to save your life. I will dispose of anyone else of the bridge, leaving only the Jedi for you to worry about."

Shalla nodded, some of her confidence returning, "I will not fail you Master."

Revan smiled beneath his mask as the turbolift door opened, with a _snap-hiss_ he activated his lightsaber and sliced a nearby soldier in half.

The bridge erupted into blaster fire as the bridge crew opened fire on the two Sith that had emerged from the turbolift. Revan and Shalla advanced together, Revan used careful moves to eliminate Republic crewmen with their own blaster bolts, while Shalla concentrated on reaching the Jedi that stood at the front of the bridge.

The Jedi that she advanced on was clad in rich, comfortable looking robes with gray and black hair that was covered the sides of his head while the rest of his head was bald with age.

Revan also knew this Jedi, he was Master Vrook Lamar from the Dantooine Enclave's Jedi Council. Vrook approached the battle calmly, his blue lightsaber humming in his hand, his eyes locked on Revan's cloaked figure.

Shalla, her violet blades humming through the air with an unnatural grace, carved through two Republic soldiers who stood between her and Vrook; raising her lightsaber in a small salute, Shalla attacked Vrook with an aggressive rage that immediately force the elderly Jedi Master to fall back.

As Shalla and Vrook fought, Revan moved through the rest of the bridge crew like a deadly wind, moving with blurring speed. With all distractions removed Revan deactivated his lightsaber and stood by the turbolift to watch Shalla and Vrook and prevent any interruptions.

Meanwhile, Vrook had recovered from Shalla first attack, drawing another lightsaber in his left hand, and was now holding Revan's apprentice to a stalemate.

The two combatants broke combat for a moment as they circled each other slowly.

Noticing Revan at the rear of the bridge Vrook snarled, "I knew training you was a bad idea, once you had fallen to the Dark Side once I knew you would do it again, but the rest of the council believed that the need to find the Star Forge was too great. Now look at what it got us, Darth Revan reborn and more death and destruction."

Revan chuckled, but remained silent; this was Shalla's fight, he was here only to observe her prove herself.

Shalla took advantage of Vrook's verbal jab at Revan to launch another attack, a flash of violet and blue briefly illuminated the bridge as Vrook danced nimbly to black Shalla's attacks.

Shalla pressed Vrook's defense, trying to open a whole in it, the elderly Jedi Master clearly struggling to hold Shalla back.

Yet, as Vrook fell back Shalla got careless and lowered her guard to attack more aggressively against what she thought was a feeble Jedi Master who was withering under her attacks. Vrook must have seen this too, because he took advantage of this and forced Shalla back while giving using a Force Push to knock her back.

Given a moment to recover Vrook advanced while Shalla was off balance and attacked; Shalla barely managed to block Vrook's attacks as the red clad Jedi Master attacked with blinding speed.

Now it was Shalla who was forced to retreat, as Vrook's dual attacks pressed her from multiple directions.

The two combatants moved around the bridge in a deadly dance, Shalla's strength and anger against Vrook's experience and economical fighting style.

As they battled Revan felt Shalla and Vrook draw on the Force, both preparing to launch attacks through the Force. Sweat glistened on their faces, highlighted by their lightsabers.

Shalla batted Vrook's attacks back and jumped back, Force Lightning jumping from her finger tips.

Vrook created a Force Barrier in front of him, stopping the attack a meter from his body.

Shalla flicked her hand and instruments tore themselves free from the wall, flying toward Vrook; the elderly Jedi Master quickly raised his arms and used his own control of the Force to cause all the instruments to fall around him.

Shalla snarled and unleashed another volley of Force Lightning, which was blocked by Vrook's Force Barrier again. As the Lightning dissipated into the Barrier Vrook created a Force Whirlwind and sent it toward Shalla.

With the unnatural speed from a Force assisted run Shalla dodged the Whirlwind, her violet lightsaber raised to strike.

Vrook moved to intercept Shalla, he to moving with the speed of the Force, and the two engaged in fierce combat again, all at the blurring speed from their Force augmented speed.

Violet and blue blades flashed through the air as they collided with each other, sometimes barely touching for split seconds before they moved again. From Revan's perspective it seemed as if the lightsabers hardly touched, but he knew that if either combatant failed to block a single attack the tide of the battle would turn with that one mistake.

The two combatants battled around the bridge, violet flashing with blue as Vrook and Shalla tried breakthrough each other defenses while blocking their opponent's attacks.

Shalla managed to draw Vrook's left hand lightsaber out of his guard and with a slash she lopped off the busy end of the lightsaber. However, in doing so she exposed the center of her own lightsaber; Vrook took advantage of her mistake and sliced through the center of her double-bladed lightsaber.

With a sharp crack both of Shalla's blades died leaving her with two worthless halves of her lightsaber.

Vrook tossed his ruined left hand lightsaber aside and set both hands on his remaining lightsaber, watching Shalla closely.

Shalla held her destroyed lightsabers, as if they could block Vrook's attack, watching the red-clad Jedi Master closely.

Revan gave an internal sigh, _She didn't learn from before and now her weapon is useless to her; now Vrook will defeat her because of her stupidity._

Revan shook his head as Vrook closed in on Shalla, who was giving up ground to keep the Jedi outside striking distance, yet she still held her useless lightsaber halves in both hands instead of clearing her hand to use her Force powers to attack Vrook before he attacked.

Finally Vrook cornered Shalla near the bridge viewport, his blue lightsaber hissing with Shalla's impending death.

Vrook paused for a moment, "Turn from the Dark Side, I do not want to destroy you."

Shalla smiled and Revan felt the Force surge through her, flipping a switch hidden inside her lightsaber. With a _snap-hiss_ both halves of her lightsaber sprang to life, their violet glow casting highlights over Vrook's surprised face.

Revan nodded, suitably impresses with Shalla's lightsaber design. She had crafted two lightsabers together with an extra spacer that contained additional power cells. She knew that enemies would try to destroy her weapon by cutting through the center, which would normally leave her lightsaber useless.

With a laugh Shalla attacked with both her lightsabers, driving Vrook back across the bridge with an amazing speed.

Vrook, now with only one lightsaber against Shalla's two, was barely able to defend himself, let alone attack the newly dual-armed Dark Jedi.

As Shalla forced Vrook to the opposite side of the bridge she opened up her defenses, setting a trap to finish Vrook. Normally Vrook would have been able to see this trap and avoid it, but he was becoming desperate and took the opening to try and finish the fight quickly.

Vrook's lightsaber stabbed forward to hit Shalla midsection, but Shalla moved to her left, letting the blade hum through air. Then, as she dodged she slashed with her lightsabers, one up and the other down, slicing through the center of Vrook's lightsaber and taking his finger with it and slicing his arm off just below the elbow a split second later.

Steam rising from his wound Vrook collapsed to his knees, clutching his cauterized arm, and cried out in pain.

Suddenly all of Vrook's pain fled him as he tapped into the Force, healing himself slightly, and clearing his mind enough to face Shalla.

Shalla held both lightsabers at the ready, having learned the hard way not to underestimate Vrook.

Slowly, his face pale from the effort, Vrook rose to his feet and lifted his left hand, calling the lightsaber he'd tossed away to his hand. The Force surged through him and into the lightsaber, with a sudden spark a beam of blue light came from the end of the lightsaber, casting a faint glow around him.

Revan started in surprise, how did Vrook use the Force to fix his lightsaber, without a focusing lens it was impossible to create the deadly blade of a lightsaber? The Dark Lord paused and looked closer at the beam, then chuckled to himself; Vrook hadn't repair the lightsaber he had only made it into a crude flashlight by connecting the parts through the Force.

The Jedi Master held the beam in front of his face in a rough salute as he looked at Revan, "Your apprentice may kill me Revan, but the Republic and the Jedi Order will win in the end! The Dark Side can never truly destroy the Light, nor will you crush the Jedi. Even now your downfall is drawing near as you try to finish the Republic and the Jedi. And in the end it will be those that follow the Light Side that will triumph as your mighty Sith Empire lies in ruins!"

Shalla snarled, "Master Revan doesn't need to listen to your Jedi babbling, the Sith will crush the Jedi and the Republic and Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith will rule the entire known galaxy!"

Shalla swung her lightsaber at Vrook, but just as the blade connected with his flesh the elderly Jedi Master's body disappeared. Leaving his charred robes to pool on the ground and his once again worthless lightsaber in the middle of the red robes.

Revan clapped his hands together slowly as Shalla returned her lightsabers to her belt and turned to face him, "Well done my apprentice, you have proved yourself worthy of the title of Darth. Now we will return to the _Vengeance_ and proceed with the promotion ritual."

The two Dark Jedi then boarded the turbolift and descended to the level where they had left the Sith Trooper Elites.

The turbolift door opened to the sound of blaster fire and the smell of burnt flesh. Sith Elites took cover behind crates and fired at an unknown number of Republic soldiers down the hall.

Revan pulled his lightsaber from his belt and activated it to block a trio of blaster bolts that were aimed at him; beside him Shalla had one of her lightsabers out and was already pushing her Force senses out to try and feel the Republic soldiers. She paused then turned to face him, "I sense twenty Republic soldiers Master."

Revan nodded and stepped behind the crates beside the Elites' commanding officer, "Lieutenant, have your men throw grenades to cover me and my apprentice; then we will move forward and eliminate the Republic soldiers, you and your men follow us in five minutes."

The Lieutenant nodded and quickly passed on Revan's order to the rest of his detachment.

Moments later a dozen grenades of various types went flying down the hallway, as they exploded Revan and Shalla jumped over the crates and rushed the Republic soldiers.

Blinded by the smoke Revan relied on his Forces senses as he sliced his way through the Republic figures that stood disoriented in the smoke. As the smoke cleared the Republic soldiers all laid in the hallway with lightsaber wounds covering their body.

The Elites joined them and they easily made their way back to the _Ebon Hawk_ where HK-47 and the two Elites that Revan had left there waited from them; Revan didn't even the Republic bodies that were covering the hangar floor.

The copper assassin droid approached Revan, dark blood sprayed over its copper armor, "Statement: Welcome back Master, the ship is safe and ready to depart if you desire, those Republic meatbags tried to capture the hangar several times; I enjoyed splattering their entrails across the hangar."

Revan smiled, "Get the Elites onboard HK, we are returning to the _Vengeance_."

The assassin droid almost showed disappointment as it replied, "Acknowledgement: As you command Master."

Revan and Shalla boarded the red and black freighter and took their seats in the cockpit while the Elites got onboard. Ten minutes later HK-47's mechanical voice came over the comm. system, "The Elites are ready and I am in the turret Master."

Revan began to bring the _Hawk_'s systems online as he replied, "Very good HK."

Revan gently lifted the freighter off its landing struts and turned to face open space while Shalla lifted the _Hawk_'s landing struts. With a faint clang to tell him the struts were in place Revan fed the engines some power and the freighter shoot through into open space.

When they cleared the Dreadnaught Revan quickly scanned for the _Vengeance_ and found that she had moved into a standard orbit while two Sith Destroyers hovered nearby, watching the Dreadnaught as its crew battled the Sith boarders.

Commander Oree's voice crackled over the comm. system, "Lord Revan, the Republic Fleet in gone, we destroyed three more Dreadnaughts before the final one escaped. The officer in charge of the boarding action reports that he has secured seventy percent of the Dreadnaught, including the ship's main computer. He has computer specialists already working on the encryption, soon they will have access to everything in the ship's computer."

Revan smiled and nodded, "Excellent news Commander, I will be arriving shortly. Keep the Fleet on Yellow Alert, have Red Group join in the ground assault, and send Gold Group to join Green Group in patrolling the sector's perimeter."

Jassen Oree's voice came through strongly, despite the static, "As you command Lord Revan."

Revan guided the _Hawk_ into its hangar, carefully setting the freighter down on its landing struts and lowering the ramp. While he finished powering down the red and black freighter Revan contacted HK-47, "HK-47, see the Elites off the _Hawk_ and then guard the ramp until my apprentice and I exit the ship."

HK's mechanical voice replied, "Acknowledgement: As you command Master."

Revan turned to face Shalla and stood, "Now my apprentice we shall proceed with the promotion ritual."

Revan exited the freighter's cockpit with Shalla at his side and led her to the port side dormitory, which Revan had turned into his personal armory and workshop.

The rectangular room had workbenches lining the walls and weapons over every style hanging on the wall. Standing on the opposite wall were two cylinders which contained two suits that Revan had been working on ever since he had learned his true heritage on the _Leviathan_ from Malak.

Shalla slowly looked around the room, obviously impressed by the collection of lethal weapons that her master had gathered during his travels.

Revan approached the right cylinder and typed in the password on the left side; with a hiss of pressurized air the front of the cylinder opened to reveal what Revan had labored on for over five months.

A solid black suit black suit, with blood red designs criss-crossing its polished black surface, and an ankle length black cape, sat in the cylinder's patted confines. Raised armor plates, resembling those on the Sith Troopers' armor, covered the torso, arms and thighs of the suit. The finishing item was the helmet; a polished black silver faceplate covered the face giving him the same faceless glance of the Sith Troopers he commanded.

Revan stepped over to the other cylinder and opened that one to reveal a similar suit, only it was smaller; he had intended to give this to Bastila when he finished, and he still planned to, but luckily Shalla and Bastila were basically the same size, so Shalla would use the suit until Bastila returned to the Sith.

With a proud grin Revan carefully removed Shalla's suit and faced Shalla, "Shalla Uln, you have completed your training and cut down a powerful Jedi Master in combat, you are ready to take on the title of Darth and vanquish the light wherever it is found." Revan handed the carefully crafted suit to his apprentice, "I now give you your new robes and armor, Darth Shalla."

Shalla took the suit, her eyes widening as she took her first good look at it and without hesitation stripped down to her undergarments, revealing how all of her skin had taken on the gray color that came from using the Dark Side. She suited up, placing every piece on with a careful precision. Finally, she slid her helmet on, sealing it with a hiss of pressurized air.

The Dark Lord smiled at the craftsmanship of the suits. The armor was made with a cortisis weave and the toughest traditional armor, yet was light enough that the wearer barely noticed it. The material connecting the armor also had a cortisis weave in it, plus a network of sensors and microrepulsors that increased the wearer's reaction time and strength. Next, Revan had incorporated a Mandalorian Power Shield and a Verprine Prototype Shield into the armor, both of which were active at all times and were recharged by the suit's small built in power supply, which was powered by the wearer's body heat.

As Shalla grew use to the additional strength and the input from the suit's sensor network Revan turned began removing his old armor, duplicates of the ones he had worn when he was captured and thus incapable of fully protecting him from his numerous enemies.

Finally all he wore was his hood and cloak, his undergarments, and his mask. He carefully removed the mask that had hid his face for the past two months since he had taken the title of Darth Revan once again. As he lifted his new helmet from its catch he saw his reflection in the faceplate.

Once he would have been considered handsome, but now the power of the Dark Side had corrupted his skin leaving black spider web veins covering his face. An unshaven beard covered his face, while uncut dark brown hair fell around his face. Cold gray eyes stared back at him, surrounded by dark circles, as he pulled the helmet over his head.

He slid the helmet on and then began to suit up the rest of the armor. With the final piece in place the suit automatically sealed it up and pressurized; that was another system he had added, both suits were completely airtight and could take the vacuum of space as long as the air supply lasted, which was roughly six hours.

He turned to face Shalla as he clipped his new cloak into place; his apprentice had discovered that she could retract the faceplate by pressing a button hidden under the right side of their jaw. He opened his faceplate as well, with a hiss of pressurized air, and was pleased to see she was shocked at how badly the Dark Side had ravaged his face.

Revan nodded, "Now that you are properly dressed to take on the title of Darth we shall finish the Sith Promotion Ritual by reciting the Code of the Sith."

Shalla nodded, and in perfect unison they spoke:

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion…

Through passion, I gain strength…

Through strength, I gain power…

Through power, I gain victory…

Through victory, my chains are broken…

The Force shall set me Free."

Revan breathed deeply, and then closed his faceplate with another hiss of pressurized air. Taking another deep breathe, Revan chuckled coldly, "Now Darth Shalla, we shall show these Republic fools who the Sith truly are."

Shalla smiled cruelly and closed her faceplate, following Revan to the ramp where HK-47 was waiting for them.

The copper assassin droid saw them approaching and bowed sharply, "Astonishment: Master! Your new robes almost frightened me into shutting down; I am excited to see what effect your robes will have on meatbags we face."

Revan chuckled, "Thank you HK-47, now let's head to the bridge and see what has happened on the Republic Dreadnaught."

With a flap of his cloak Revan stalked out of the hangar into the turbolift and ascended to the bridge. His mind filled with plans to crush the Republic.

Author's Note: Well I hope you like Revan and Shalla's new looks and how I did the Ritual. By the way if I've misspelled any or the Star Wars words please let me know, but anyway in the next chapter Carth makes an appearance. I am also debeating where I am going to go after the next chapter, so if anyone has any ideas go ahead and make a suggestion.

Until next time, thanks for reading and reviewing.


	10. A New Goal

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.

Chapter 10: A New Goal

A spectacular explosion ripped through the hull of the Republic Dreadnaught, _Liberty's Escort_, sending debris from its hull flying in every direction through space.

Onboard the _Vengeance_ Darth Revan watched the ship's death with satisfaction, the boarding had been successful, Jedi Master Vrook had fallen to his apprentice, and he now knew where Bastila and part of the Republic fleet that had escaped him were; Talus' sister planet, Tralus.

Below the bow of the silver Battlecruiser was Talus itself, now conquered and under Sith control, and on her surface were the Republic survivors that had been captured during the Sith boarding, now that he had gotten all the information he needed from them and their ship those prisoners were of no further use to him; they were going to used as live training opponents to train Sith recruits and Sith apprentices throughout the Sith Empire.

Orbiting Talus was an impressive armada of Sith firepower, thirty-two ships in total, and they were all under the direct command of Darth Revan himself.

Beside the Dark Lord stood his apprentice, the newly raised Darth Shalla, in her new Shadow Armor, the name Revan had given the powerful suit of armor that he had built for both of them. Shalla's face remained hidden behind her suit's faceplate as she watched the Dreadnaught's destruction, while Revan's was retracted revealing how he had cleaned his features since the Promotion Ritual.

The Dark Lord of the Sith rubbed his cleanly shaved chin as the _Hope_'s demise faded, leaving only a clean view of the Sith ships orbiting with Revan's flagship.

Behind him knelt Admiral Afyon Survok, the short man who had taken command of the Sith Empire's boarder defenses when Admiral Karath and Darth Malak had been killed. However, as of late he was better known for his failure to secure Talus from the Republic during the Sith Empire's recent offensive.

Revan turned to face the dark skinned Admiral who had commanded the reinforcements that had joined Revan's fleet, those that had replaced the badly damaged ships in Survok's battered taskforce.

The Admiral winced at the sight of Revan's gray, death-like skin and his cold, emotionless gray eyes. Black spider veins radiated from Revan's eyes and criss-crossed across his entire face, giving his face the appearance of being dead while still pulsing with power and strength.

Revan spoke slowly, with a deliberate precision, with an almost mechanically emotionless voice emerging from his mouth, "Admiral Survok, you have failed the Sith Empire." Revan paused to let fear creep its way into the short man's blue eyes, "Normally such an error would result in your execution, however, I have a much better use for you, Admiral."

Hope sparked in Survok's light blue eyes as he saw that he might not have to face the wrath of the Dark Lord, "Th-thank you Darth Revan, I live to serve you."

Revan's merciless stare silenced his babbling, "Admiral, you and your will serve under my command directly, as it clear from recent events that your skills are so pathetic that you can not operate with someone to guide along the way."

Survok bowed his head, "My Lord Revan is truly gracious and wise, soon the whole galax-"The Admiral cut short as Revan suddenly lifted him off the ground in a Force Grip.

Revan, who hadn't moved a muscle, merely gave the frightened Admiral a venomous stare, "If you insist on this annoying babbling you may outweigh your usefulness, Admiral."

Revan set the man down and paused while the short man returned to his knees, his head bowed to the ground, before continuing, "Now, you will take five Sith Destroyers and attack the Republic forces in the Tralus system, after arriving you will then send a full report of their positions to my taskforce. You depart in four hours." Revan paused, then growled, "You are dismissed Admiral Survok."

Admiral Survok rose to his feet, gave Revan another bow, and silently exited the bridge.

Revan watched as Commander Oree approached Revan's side, he spoke with his usual confidence, "I have completed your orders Lord Revan, seventeen Destroyers will accompany the _Vengeance_ to Tralus and ten will remain here, that is not including the five Destroyers under Admiral Survok's command."

An eager smile crossed Revan's face, "Well done, Commander." Revan casually crossed his arms, "Commander Oree, in light of your performance recently I have decided to further test your abilities, you will command the forces that remain here at Talus until I return from my conquest of Tralus."

Jassen Oree snapped to attention and gave a sharp salute, "Thank you Lord Revan, if you have no further orders for me at this time I will move to the taskforce's command ship and array it to properly guard this system."

Revan nodded as Commander Oree marched off, the young officer had done well as Revan's first officer, but it would be interesting to see how well he would do without being able to rely of Revan's strategic and leadership abilities.

As Commander Oree exited the bridge a young Lieutenant Commander with dark brown hair and pale, almost white, gray eyes approached with a datapad in his hand, "Excuse me Lord Revan, but we just received this from the Star Forge."

Revan took the datapad, "Thank you, Lt. Commander…"

The officer started, "Zintel, Sarin Zintel my Lord."

Revan glance and the nervous officer, "Well, Lt. Commander Zintel, while Commander Oree is off on his own command, you will serve as my first officer."

Zintel hesitated; sweat dripping down his now pale face, and then bowed deeply, "Thank you Lord Revan, I will await your orders by your command chair." The young officer nervously backed away until he took Commander Oree's usual place by Revan's command chair.

Revan turned to face the bridge viewport again, chuckling to himself as he read the report on the datapad.

It was from Master Valen Guan, the Sith Master who was in command of an army of battle droids with the order of conquering the Rakatan race.

A large part of the report was mostly statistics an the size of the droid army, which numbered at 1,500, the number of Rakatan captives, which was now at 950, and how much of the planet had been brought under Sith control.

After the numbers was a report written by Master Guan himself; Revan read it twice and immediately had mixed feeling about the success of the conquest.

The droid army had had the advantage over the primitive Rakatan's at first, however, recently the Rakatan's tactics had changed and now loses on the Sith side were steadily increasing.

Master Guan blamed the loses on a Rakata leader called the One that had escaped from the Temple Island and now lead nearly an entirely united race against his forces.

Furthermore it appeared that from recent sightings by Sith scouts that Carth Onasi, Mission Vao, and the Wookiee Zaalbar had joined the Rakatan, lending their experience and skills to even the odds.

Lastly, Master Guan requested that he be allowed to use three squadrons of Sith Fighters and a dozen Sith Assault Transports to speed the defeat of the Rakatans.

Revan filled out an order to the officer overseeing the defenses of the Star Forge and other Sith forces in the system to give Master Guan access to the resources he requested and to continue producing additional droids to replace his losses.

He also fill out another order to Master Guan himself instructing the Sith Master to try and capture Carth and his companions alive if they were indeed helping the Rakatan.

With both orders completed Revan gave them to a crewman to be sent to their recipients, and then set to work preparing his taskforce for their engagement with the Republic at Tralus and to preparing himself for facing Bastila through their bond again.

**THE ONE'S HEADQUARTERS, RAKATA**

The pale sunlight beamed through the holes in the canvas roof as Carth Onasi, hero of the Republic, walked through the One's Headquarters.

Rakatan warriors filled the halls, some armed with various melee weapons and other with captured blaster that had been modified to accommodate their unique hands.

Carth paused by the doorway to the One's War Room and took a deep breath before pushing the wooden doors open.

The One stood at the table in gold and black Rakatan warrior armor, a pair of wickedly curved vibroswords on his back and two heavy blaster pistols on his sides; the table was cover with roughly carved figures representing the Sith droid army and the Rakatan war bands scattered across the island.

The One stared intently at the map; his eye stalks swiveling back and forth as he surveyed the situation.

Carth stepped up to the table, running his hand through his full bread; he hadn't been able to find a razor here with the Rakatan since abandoning Revan to find a way to save the Republic from the Dark Lord reborn.

The One looked up at Carth's approach, his eye stalks focusing on the human a few seconds before his head followed, "Greeting Carth Onasi, it would appear that your strategies have helped my forces to slow the abominations of the Sith for now." The One spoke in an oddly clear, yet obviously awkward Common, the result of Revan forcing the language into the Rakata's head with the Force.

Carth nodded, "Yes it does, however, we need to launch a counterattack to gain the upper hand on our enemies or they will force use off this island." This was the second island they had retreated to since Carth, Mission, and Zaalbar joined the One, but he had lost five other islands already by the time Carth and his party arrived.

The One nodded slowly, "You make sense Carth. The abominations must be destroyed; we will cut them down and find the being made of flesh that drives these things." The One shook his head in frustration, "But how can my warriors better themselves if they can not eat the vanquished and gain their strength?"

Internally, Carth winced, that was the most difficult part of Rakatan culture to grow used to, they _ate_ the leaders and most powerful warriors of their enemies to gain their strength. When they had learned that their new foes weren't made of flesh and bone they had basically called what Carth could only call a holy war, to wipe the abomination from their world completely.

Concentrating on the table before him Carth pointed to a spot where rough terrain had weaken the Sith line, "There. We should strike there."

The One studied the table, "Yes, this will work to our advantage and I have four war bands from on of my other islands that we can use to break the abominations' lines and find the flesh enemy who controls them."

Carth nodded silently as the One began to rant on about the joy he would feel when he killed those who created the abominations and how he would burn them so none could ever build such things again.

Carth sighed; this wasn't how he'd thought he would end his life, on a primitive world that most of the galaxy didn't know about trying to defeat an army of droids that came from an endlessly producing factory.

However, if he could somehow get his hands on a ship he could escape to the Republic, or even find a way to destroy the Star Forge, the secret weapon of the Sith Empire, taking its awesome power from Revan's grasp forever.

With this new goal set up in his mind, Carth concentrated on preparing for this attack and those to follow with a renewed energy that he hadn't felt in over a decade, back when he had first seen Revan's genius defeat the Mandalorians.

**THE _VENGEANCE_, EDGE OF THE TALUS SYSTEM**

Floating at the heart of seventeen Sith Destroyers was the _Vengeance_, the flagship of the Sith Fleet and Darth Revan's command ship, as the Sith Fleet waited at the edge of the Talus system for the moment to strike Talus' sister planet, Tralus.

Nearby was a force more than three times the size of Revan's force, five Sith Destroyers under the command of Admiral Survok.

On the bridge of his flagship Darth Revan sat in his command chair watching as Admiral Survok's force prepared to make the hyperspace jump to attack Tralus.

Revan's plan called for Survok's force to attack Tralus and once the Republic positions were identified he would send the data to Revan, who would then use his force to trap and decimate the Republic Fleet.

However, the Sith attack on Tralus had a second, more important, objective than simply taking the planet; he planned to disable the _Hand of Justice_, Admiral Dodonna's flagship, and then board the ship and capture Bastila.

Once he had Bastila and her Battle Meditation with him again his forces would be unstoppable and the Republic would tremble itself to pieces at the mere thought of his power.

A smile crossed Revan's face behind his closed faceplate as Admiral Survok's force vanished into hyperspace; soon his victory over the Republic would be complete.

In the wake of the five Destroyers' departure the _Vengeance_'s bridge came alive with activity as communications officers watched closely for Admiral Survok's message and everyone else was making final preparations before the flagship of the Sith Fleet entered combat.

Twenty minutes passed without any message, but thirty minutes after Admiral Survok's force had left a data stream was received.

Revan immediately ordered the fleet into hyperspace and then poured over the data on the Republic Fleet.

The Republic Fleet had three Republic Cruisers and nine Republic Dreadnaughts, obviously there to try and launch a counterattack to recapture Talus from Sith control.

He studied the way the Republic was arrayed in combat and came up with a strategy to defeat what they most likely trying to accomplish in their maneuverings and then break the Republic Fleet's fighting spirit completely.

The tunnel of light surrounding the Fleet slowly rotated, then suddenly shattered into thousands of pinpricks. Those pinpricks quickly formed themselves into the perfect expanse of space with Tralus floating ahead, surrounded by the Republic Fleet and Admiral Survok's forces.

Revan calmly stood, arms behind his back and gave his orders, "Blue Group: Advance on Admiral Survok's left flank and relieve the pressure he's taking. Red Group: Move to deny the Republic Fleet its escape route. Green Group: Attack the Republic Fleet's unengaged left flank. _Vengeance_'s Group will attack the Republic's center, centering on the _Hands of Justice_."

Nervously Lt. Commander Zintel spoke up, "I'm sorry Lord Revan, but the _Hand of Justice_ is not in this system and two Dreadnaughts are missing as well."

Slowly Revan sat down, his faceplate hiding the disgusted look that covered his face, "Very well Lt. Commander, locate the ship that is commanding the Republic Fleet, we will launch our attack on that vessel instead."

Revan half watched as three groups of five Sith Destroyers advanced on the Republic Fleet, their fighters swarming around them. But, he was already thinking on where Bastila and Admiral Dodonna could have gone; with those two not present at this battle it would not be difficult for his forces to destroy the Republic here.

As the Sith Fleet moved to engage the Republic Revan pulled his command chair's comlink free of its jack and adjusted the frequency to Shalla's personal comlink. He brought the comlink to his masked face, "Darth Shalla, this is Darth Revan."

Shalla's calm voice replied, "Yes my Master."

Revan glanced up as the first of his Sith Destroyers began firing on the Republic Dreadnaught, their fighter already decimating their Republic counterparts, "We will be launching a boarding operation on the Republic command ship, I want you to lead the operation. Bring the commanding officer and any high-ranking officer to me alive. Kill the rest."

Shalla's eagerness filled her voice, "What if there are any Jedi onboard?"

Revan smiled, "They should not be difficult for you my apprentice, however, capture them alive if possible, but if they prove to be unwilling to surrender corpses will do."

Shalla's voice was that of perfect obedience, "As you command my Master."

Revan placed the comlink back in its jack and returned his attention to the battle unfolding before him.

The Republic Fleet was pinned down against Tralus by Twenty Sith Destroyers as the Sith Fleet attacked on all sides. On the Republic right flank a Dreadnaught, flames roaring from the breaches in its hull, exploded and allowed two Sith Destroyers to advance forward.

Lt. Commander Zintel approached Revan and stood at attention until the Dark Lord Acknowledged him, "Lord Revan, we have identified the Republic command ship. It is one of the two Cruisers at the heart of the Republic formation, the _Liberty's Strife_.

Revan dismissed Zintel with a wave of his hand as he stood, "Helm: Lay in an intercept course with the republic Cruiser _Liberty's Strife_; pass on the order to our escorts as well. Communications: Order Green Group to concentrate their attacks on the Dreadnaughts guarding the _Strife_. Order our escorting Destroyers to send their fighter squadrons to harass the _Strife_ and soften up her defenses." Revan sat back down in his command chair, "Order our escorts to come up to flank speed, when we cross the Republic battle line they are to break off and engage the other Republic Cruiser. Match our speed to theirs, but keep our engines ready to increase to flank speed at my mark."

_Vengeance_'s deck thrummed as the Battlecruiser moved forward, while their escorts' fighter squadrons raced pass, headed for _Liberty's Strife_.

Energy blasts exploded throughout space as the Republic Fleet battle for its very survival against a larger Sith Fleet.

The Republic ships were so busy battling the rest of the Sith Fleet that they didn't notice Revan's small attack charging at them, at least until those ships opened fire.

The two Destroyers on _Vengeance_'s flanks poured volleys onto the Dreadnaughts ahead of them, spreading destruction along the smaller ships' hulls.

_Vengeance_'s bow cleared the Dreadnaughts, revealing the _Strife_ surrounded by small explosions as it tried to fight off the four squadrons of Sith Fighters attacking her. Revan stood suddenly, "Helm: Bring us flank speed now!" The deck under Revan's feet shook as the _Vengeance_'s speed increased.

Despite the shaking Revan calmly walked up the walkway dividing the crew pit, "Weapons: Target the _Strife_'s weapons and engines, use only our ion cannons once her shields are down. Communications: Order the fighters assaulting the _Strife_ to return to their ships. All boarding parties to their transports and prepare to board the _Strife_."

Revan reached the bridge viewport and held his hands at the small of his back "Release two of our fighter squadrons and order them to take the _Strife_'s hangar shields down."

Taken off guard by the Battlecruiser's sudden acceleration, the _Strife_'s gunners were slow to react as the fighters attacking them retreated and the _Vengeance_ opened fire.

Red and Blue hues mixed and splashed over the Cruiser's shields, carefully targeted wedges of destruction aimed at the critical parts of the ship's defensive and maneuvering systems.

As the hail of destruction continued twenty-four Sith Fighters launched and dove under the capital ship fire, firing their smaller ruby bolts and launching torpedoes wreathed in white fire into the shields guarding the Cruiser's hangars.

The Republic Cruiser's shields shuddered under the punishment and began to collapse, allowing small parts of volleys to hit its hull. Explosions ripped through the hull as hits blew away parts of the ship's armor.

As the shields fell the red bolts disappeared from the volleys and only blue ion cannon blots remained, sending blue lightning skittering over the Cruiser's surface wherever they hit.

Revan turned to the bridge crew, "Launch the boarding parties, and order our fighter attacking _Strife_ to escort the transports to their hangars. Weapons: Slow your fire; watch for weapons or engines that are still active."

As the firing died down the Cruiser began to spin, a side effect from her final maneuver before the Sith attack knocked out her engines, at the same time a dozen Sith transports closed in on the disabled ship while the _Vengeance_ hovered nearby; one or two of her weapons firing occasionally to knockout any remaining weapons that still showed any sign of hostility.

Around the Battlecruiser the battle still raged as Republic Dreadnaughts, deprived of any leader ship from their command ship, fell into disarray. Three Dreadnaughts exploded within minutes of each other and the remaining five all fell back to the other Republic Cruiser, the _Emancipation_, who was managing to hold of the two Sith Destroyers Revan had ordered to attack it.

However that was short lived, as three more Sith Destroyers joined in the attack. With a flash of light and a flare of fire a good portion of the Cruiser went dark, the result of the loss of its primary power core.

As the ship took on more damage its orbit slowly began to decay, its damaged engines unable to hold off Tralus' gravity any longer.

Revan smiled, "Communications: Order the ships attacking the _Emancipation_ to stand down, that ship isn't going anywhere. Also, order Red and Green Groups to begin assaulting Tralus, but be sure they know to stay clear of the zone where the _Emancipation_ is going to crash into the planet."

Just then Lt. Commander Zintel approached cautiously, "Excuse me Lord Revan, but I have calculated the Cruiser's crash zone and I have found that it will land just off the coast from the world's largest city and capital, Ernat."

Revan, still watching the final moments of the battle through the viewport, stood still, "Very well, tell Communications to advise our forces to stay clear of the Ernat until the effects of the crash have subsided."

Zintel hesitated, nervously wiping his hands on his uniform's gray pants, "But Lord Revan, there are over 7 million people in Ernat, not to mention the other cities that will be destroyed by the tidal wave created when the Cruiser hits. We'd be killing countless innocents, plus we'll lose all the industrial power those cities have to offer the Sith Empire."

Revan continued to remain still for a moment, letting Zintel continue to fidget nervously before he responded.

Suddenly the young Lt. Commander fell to his knees choking from some unseen force; he looked up into Revan's faceless mask pleadingly, but he only saw his own terrified reflection.

Revan released the frightened officer and spoke in a slow emotionless voice, "Understand this very clearly Lt. Commander, the Sith have no room for a weak fool who shy away from the deaths of those who are our enemies. Tralus openly opposed me and willingly helped the Republic in its efforts, and they will be punished for doing so. Plus by doing this we will make our conquest of the planet much easier. With a few more examples like this the Republic will face hostile attitudes from their planets when they try and defend them; making our victory that much simpler."

Revan watched the young officer stay in his knees, still getting his breath back while he bowed his head to the Dark Lord, "Now to cure you of this weakness, I order you to calculate the path that the Cruiser would have to take to do the most damage to the planet, then give those calculations to Communications so that a Destroyer can adjust the Cruiser's path." The officer slowly raised his head, his face now pale with fear and covered in a nervous sweat. Revan chuckled, "And if you do not do this to the best of your ability Lt. Commander, I will order the Fleet to devastate the entire planet, with you on its surface." Revan paused to let the full effect of his order sink in then growled, "Dismissed."

Zintel quickly left, leaving Revan to chuckle cruelly as the final Dreadnaught burst into flame from another attack by his forces.

His gaze fell on the disabled _Strife_ and he suddenly remembered the real target in this attack, Bastila and her Battle Mediation. He turned a walked toward his Ready Room angrily; he spoke without any of that anger showing in his voice, "Communication: Contact Admiral Survok and have him send over a complete report and data on the battle prior to my arrival. Then transfer that and all data on the battle to my ready room. Also, inform me when the boarding parties return and a Destroyer stabilize _Liberty's Strife_'s orbit; I still have a use for her."

A Communications officer nodded and gave Revan a salute as the Dark Lord stalked off the bridge.

With a hiss Revan opened his faceplate once his Ready Room's door had closed behind him, giving him an unhindered view of Tralus beyond the Ready Room's viewport.

Dark shadows covered the room as Revan approached his desk, its computer flashing from received messages. Flipping the computer on as he sat down Revan was surprised to see that one was from Commander Oree, while the other was a progress report from Admiral Ordo.

Calling up Canderous's report first Revan was very pleased by what he read.

The Mandalorian Admiral reported that his newly strengthened Fleet had conquered two worlds, Ghorman and Balamorra. He was already preparing to attack Bortas, giving the Sith Empire complete access to the entire Sector.

The rest of the report was mainly statistics on Sith casualties, which Revan was pleased to see were low, and any new intelligence that Canderous's forces had found.

Commander Oree's report was a surprise, apparently twenty minutes after Revan had lead his Fleet to attack Tralus a ragtag Fleet of independent ships commanded by two Republic Cruisers had launched a counterattack against Talus with a force of twenty-two ship, most of which were no more powerful than a Republic Dreadnaught.

Commander Oree had lead a brilliant defense of the system, leaving one Republic Cruiser and nine of the independent ships destroyed; beside that nearly every Republic ship had taken some damage, ranging from moderate hull breaches to damage so serious that it was doubtful the ship survived long when the Republic Fleet fled the system.

By comparison the Sith defenders had take very few loses and only one Destroyer had taken anything more than minor hull damage, the result of a suicide ram by a independent ship.

Revan nodded, impressed by the young Commander's abilities; granted his opponents weren't really the best the Republic had to offer and obviously lacked any discipline, but he had still managed to win an impressive victory against a foe that outnumbered him two-to-one.

Just then his computer chimed from the arrival of a data stream.

Calling up the message Revan saw it was the data from Admiral Survok regarding the beginning of the battle.

As he looked over what Survok had done he was not very impressed and what he saw only confirmed his belief in Survok's foolishness. The Admiral had done nothing to try and hold the Republic Fleet at Tralus or give the appearance of a poorly executed raid, instead he had hovered at the edge of the system, scanning the Republic Fleet until he had sent the data to Revan _before_ attacking Republic Fleet.

The Republic Fleet would have detected that message and knew that Revan's force was coming; so to avoid the battle and deprive Revan his goal, Admiral Dodonna and Bastila had left the system before Revan could arrive.

Saving the data so he could study it in more depth later Revan keyed his desk's comlink, "Communications: Order Admiral Survok to report to me in my Ready Room immediately."

Revan cut off the Communications response short as he quickly switched frequencies to receive a message from Shalla, "Excuse my Master, but I request permission to return to the ship, I have found something that may prove very interesting to you."

Revan smiled, nodding slowly, "Very well Darth Shalla, I trust that what you will tell me is important enough to abandon the boarding operation before it has been completed."

Shalla's voice didn't even hint at any fear, "Yes Lord Revan it is, as I'm sure you'll agree when you see what I have found."

Revan nodded, "Then I shall see you soon, my apprentice." He turned off the comlink and leaned back in his chair, _What has Shalla found on the _Strife_? Why is it so important that she tells me in person, abandoning her first command before its close?_ Revan sighed, eager to see this important information. _Well, we'll see what it is in a few minutes._

Author's Note: Well that's Chapter 10, now I have a few ideas of where to go from here, but if any one has one they think would be good, please suggest it. I'll try at figure out where I'm going to go and start the next chapter as soon as I can. But anyway thanks for reading and all of your reviews.


	11. A Few Leadership Changes

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.

Chapter 11: A Few Leadership Changes

Admiral Survok, a short man with a balding head, nervously entered Darth Revan's Ready Room where the Dark Lord stood before his large dark desk in his Shadow Armor, his faceless faceplate closed over his face. The Dark Lord's apprentice, Darth Shalla Uln, stood off to the side in the darkness of the dimly lit room, having arrived only a few minutes earlier to report important information to her Master, watching the Admiral behind her own faceplate.

Survok stopped before the Lord of the Sith and fell to his knees while he bowed his head, "You summoned me Lord Revan?"

Revan merely stood there staring at the Admiral silently, while the short man nervously waited for the Dark Lord to respond. Revan finally responded, "Admiral Survok, please refresh my memory, but I believe that I ordered you to attack Tralus with your forces correct?"

Survok gulped, "That is correct my Lord Revan."

Revan growled onward, "Very well, then why does the data from the battle clearly show you holding your forces at the edge of the system _until_ you had sent off a heavily encoded message, one that would clearly draw the Republic's attention. Only after your encoded message had been off, basically telling the Republic that reinforcements were coming, did you attack with your outnumbered forces."

The dark skinned Admiral began to sweat heavily as he responded, "My Lord Revan the Republic Fleet was superior in number to mine, if I had engaged them my force would have taken heavy damage."

Revan snarled angrily, "You fool, you knew my Fleet was waiting nearby and would be that in mere moments after you sent me the data I requested. If you had done as ordered and attacked the Republic upon arriving then we would have dealt the deathblow to the Republic Fleet, leaving the entire Republic at our mercy. Instead you have failed the Sith Empire and me for the last time."

Survok rose, already trying to plead for his life, when he suddenly was lifted off the deck. The dark skinned Admiral looked at the Dark Lord with fear filling his eyes, then Revan lifted his hand and used his awesome control of the Force to crush the fool's skeleton while leaving the rest of his body untouched.

Survok's screams echoed through the room as he experienced the sensation of his body turning into a formless sack of skin and blood.

As the deceased Admiral's screams faded Revan turned to face his apprentice, "Now that that is done we can turn to reason why you insisted on coming to tell me your information in person."

Shalla bowed deeply, "Thank you my Master, I am sure you will agree that what I have found is well worth it."

Revan returned to his chair behind his desk and gestured for her to continue.

Shalla obediently continued, "You see my Master, when our forces captured the Cruiser's computer core we discovered that it was unlocked, its security opened by the commanding officer it download vital information that the ship had in its memory banks. When I searched through is I found this."

Shalla pulled a small holodisk from her belt and inserted it in the desk's holoprojecter, the device hummed to life and the holographic representation of a planet appeared between Revan and Shalla.

Shalla crossed her arms, "As you most likely know this is Garqi and according to the data I found it is the site where a large number of refugees from Dantooine have fled, including nearly a hundred Jedi."

Revan sighed, "Those Jedi are no more than apprentices and old Jedi Masters whose own command of the Force has nearly faded completely, they are of no concern to our efforts."

Shalla shook her head, "If you'll excuse me Master, but there is something of interest on Garqi, or should I say, will be very shortly. You see according to my information Admiral Dodonna, Jedi Master Vandar, and Bastila Shan are already in route there to pick up the Jedi there and take them to Jedi Temple on Coruscant."

Revan's interest had piqued at the mention of Vandar, but the fact that Bastila would be there had truly caught Revan's attention. The small Jedi Master had been very troublesome ever since the Battle at the Star Forge and he would be pleased to remove that thorn in his side. The Dark Lord leaned forward, interlacing his fingers, "Well done my apprentice, you have done well. I believe we will pay the Jedi a visit very shortly, as soon as I can make arrangements for the Fleet until I return."

Shalla bowed deeply, "Thank you Master, now if you'll excuse me I will return to the _Liberty's Strife_ to oversee the rest of the boarding operation."

Revan nodded as his apprentice exited his Ready Room, leaving him to stare at the holographic image of Garqi orbiting above his desk.

He reached over and activated his desk's comlink, its frequency set to the Communications officer on the bridge, "Communications: Contact Commander Oree and link the transmission to my Ready Room once it is established." Revan clicked the comlink onto standby mode and quickly drafted the orders he would have to send so that he could travel to Garqi and capture his goal.

Just as Revan closed the orders and went about preparing them to be sent his comlink beeped, signaling that Commander Oree's transmission was coming in.

The holographic image of Garqi vanished and was replaced by a scaled down version of Jassen Oree. Commander Oree's holographic form knelt with its head bowed, "Greetings Lord Revan, how may I serve?"

Revan set both of his arms on the arms of his chair and spoke calmly and coolly, "I am leaving the Fleet, with the _Vengeance_, for a time; until I return I want you to continue the conquest of the Corellian Sector, _General_ Oree."

Even through the holograph the newly promoted General sputtered slightly before rising to his feet and giving the Dark Lord a stiff salute, "Thank you Lord Revan, I will try to bring the rest of the Sector under our control with the same iron fist that you have done so far."

Revan nodded, "I'm sure you will General, however, there is one more thing, while I am not in the Fleet I may be out of contact for some time; until I return or you receive an order telling you otherwise you are to report to Admiral Ordo."

Jassen Oree nodded stiffly, obviously not entirely happy about having a Mandalorian command him, "Understood Lord Revan."

The Dark Lord smiled behind his faceplate, "Very good General, Revan out."

With that he cut the transmission short and activated his desk comlink again, "Communications: Contact Admiral Ordo and reroute it to my Ready Room."

With in ten minutes Canderous Ordo's holographic image bowed on Revan's desk, "What is your command Lord Revan?"

Revan interlaced his fingers, "The _Vengeance_ and I will be leaving the Fleet for some time, until I return you are to continue your conquest of the Sesswenna Sector. Additionally, General Oree will be reporting to you and I want you to begin preparations for an attack on Courscant; by the time I return from my mission I plan to lead our forces to a glorious victory over the Senate Hill and the Jedi Temple."

Admiral Ordo bowed deeply again, "I will start immediately Revan, you will return to find the Republic a ripe fruit ready for you to pick."

Revan nodded as Canderous' image winked out, plunging his Ready Room into it normal gloom.

Leaning back in his chair Revan closed his eyes and let a smile cross his lips as he imagined how close his victory was.

This time Bastila would not evade him and that meddling Vandar would meet his fate at the hands of the Dark Lord of the Sith.

JEDI ENCLAVE, GARQI SYSTEM 

Bastila Shan sighed as a cool breeze stirred the purple leaved trees surrounding her as she meditated in a clearing just outside the abandoned Jedi Enclave here.

At least it had been abandoned before the Sith attack on Dantooine, now the survivors of that attack were here waiting to be healed of their wounds, be them physical or mental.

High above her head a small Republic taskforce orbited as they waited for a convoy of transports that would bring the surviving Jedi and apprentices to the Jedi Temple on Courscant.

The life of Garqi pulsed around her as she pushed her Force senses out around her, feeling everything surrounding her. She felt creatures of various sizes, ranging from small rodents to large herbivores, she felt the nearby life from the Enclave, and she felt the distant life from the Republic ships orbiting above.

As she reached out, enjoying the life that flowed so freely here, Bastila let her mind wander back to her last mental encounter with Revan.

Her mind raced with questions, questions that she could not ask any of her fellow Jedi. Did Revan still love her? If he truly did how could she fight against the man who she loved? The answer was clear, she couldn't. Yet, still there was an aching doubt about if Revan was sincere about his feelings toward her. He was the Dork Lord of the Sith once again and he could easily have said those things in the hope that she would join him. No, before she made a decision about Revan she needed proof that what he had said was true.

Bastila opened her eyes and was surprised to find her eyes watery with tears. Wiping them from her eyes quickly she rose to her feet and walked toward the Enclave.

When Bastila arrived at the Enclave there was a commotion that had all the apprentices and even the elderly Jedi Masters humming in conversation.

Bastila weaved her way through the crowded Enclave until she found Master Vandar, Master Zhar, and Admiral Dodonna in what had once been this Enclave's council chambers.

Approaching them slowly she bowed deeply, "Forgive Masters, Admiral, but what has happened that has the Enclave so disturbed?"

Vandar looked at her mournfully, "We just received word that Tralus has fallen to the Sith, but what is worse is that we just learned that Master Vrook is dead, killed by Darth Revan at Talus."

Bastila starred at Vandar in shock, she couldn't believe that Master Vrook was dead, he was one of the most powerful Jedi from the Dantooine Enclave Council and easily the best swordsman; he always taught the apprentices the more advanced lightsaber techniques.

Bastila faced Vandar solemnly and bowed deeply, "Thank you Master, I will leave you to your discussion."

Vandar nodded and turned to face Dodonna and Zhar as Bastila exited the chambers.

Once she was out of the chambers Bastila wandered around the Enclave until she found her quarters, one of the few rooms that had not been taken by the Jedi Masters who had escaped the destruction of Dantooine.

She breathed a sigh of relief at being within the safety of her quarters, here she could rest and not worry about some apprentice who had only heard rumors of what she had done coming up and forcing her to relive the painful memories she had from her time as Malak's and then as Revan's apprentice.

Bastila sighed and fell to her bed face first, enjoying the softness of it and the amount of space she had compared to her quarters on the _Hands of Justice_.

She rolled over and stared at the ceiling, in her mind the memories she and Revan had shared since he had rescued her on Taris flashed through her mind. In her mind's eye she saw herself sparring with him in Dantooine, battling along side him as he carved his way through Sith assassins on Manaan, Korriban, Tatooine, and Kashyyyk, she remembered seeing the anger on his face when he first learned he was Darth Revan followed quickly by a savage grin as he realized his claim to the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith.

Bastila shivered, even when he hadn't known who he really was Revan's alternate personality, Aaron Star, had had the desire to join the Sith and learning his true heritage had only further spurred him down the path to darkness.

Now Aaron had all of Revan's old memories, plus those of Aaron as well, making the new Revan much more powerful than to one she had fought against.

Bastila shivered again, though this time it was not from anything she thought or felt, it was from her bond with Revan as he brushed her mind through it. He had taken to doing that, almost as if it was subconscious, every once and awhile as if he was checking that Bastila was still there.

However, this time what started as a brush became more as Revan probed her mind, but before she could withdraw from the Force and shield herself from his dark presence and the emotions he brought on Revan's presence disappeared again; leaving her only to shake from his touch.

Bastila shook and wiped a tear from her eye, every time Revan touched her she felt a mix of emotions that was almost impossible to separate, she was scared at the darkness he brought with him, but she was also filled with a pleasant feeling as if she was happy that Revan had chosen to try and reach her.

Bastila shook her head and clenched her jaw, it would not matter if she wished for Revan to feel the same way about her that she felt about him, every time he touched her he was trying to seduce her with the Dark Side of the Force trying to make her fall again.

But the scary part was Bastila wasn't sure if she didn't want him to succeed.

THE ONE'S HEADQUARTERS, RAKATA 

Carth gave grunt as he jumped down under cover as a storm of ruby bolts burnt through the air where he had just been standing. Checking his two blaster pistols Carth rose to one knee and blasted away at the trio of gray and orange Sith battle droids advancing on his position.

His first volley blew the head off the center droid, leaving the body to fall in a sparking heap while its two companions continued forward to kill Carth.

Calmly moving his still smoking blasters Carth fried at the other droid just as a pair of Rakatan Warriors fired on the other, both droids fell in a charred heap; the two Warriors nodded in Carth's direction before running off toward more droids.

Carth sighed and took the moment to replace the energy packs in his pistols before scanning the surrounding area for more battle droids. Carth's eyes fell on the remains of the three battle droids, this was the first time Carth had had the chance to look at the droid without worrying about them blowing his head off and he was surprised to see that they resembled HK-47, except that they were not as armored and their heads were slimmer.

Carth shook his head and ran forward to the next bit of cover, the Rakatan had broken through the Sith lines along the rough terrain where he had suggested, but even as they had advanced the Sith had suddenly gotten access to fighters and transports which they used to land close to fifty battle droids at the One's headquarters. Plus they had been attacked on all fronts simultaneously, driving the Rakatan back on all fronts as they lost all coordination.

Carth looked around the boulder he was using for cover and saw a group of Rakatan trying to fight their way through a handful of battle droids that were guarding the hall that lead to the One's War Room.

Sliding one blaster into its holster Carth grabbed a grenade from his belt and threw it at the battle droids while he charged up to the Rakatan Warriors; the grenade exploded just as he reached the Warriors sending bits and pieces of droids flying every where.

The Warriors grunted to him in their strange language and the leader gestured for him to follow them. Carth nodded in understanding and pulled his blaster from its holster again as they ran down the hall to where the One's War Room was.

When they approached the doors Carth immediately noticed how they were hanging loosely, the ornate wood smoldering slowly from blaster fire.

Carth lead the Warriors into the War Room, his blasters blazing at the four battle droids that were firing at an overturned table.

Two droids exploded from his fire as he slid to take cover behind what had once been the One's bed. Above his head the droids poured fire in his direction, causing the fabric of the bed to catch fire.

Taking advantage of his distraction the One jumped up and easily destroyed both droids as they tried to hit Carth.

Carth rose from his cover and jogged over to the One, who was leaning on the overturned table heavily, a large blaster wound covering most of his left flank.

The injured leader looked up as Carth approached, "Carth Onasi, it is good you have come, I am wounded by these Sith abominations, but you, you will lead my people to a glorious victory over them and rid our world of their kind forever."

Carth stared in shock as the One handed his the golden necklace that served as the mark of the Rakatan's leader. Carth stared at the necklace, "I can not be the leader of the Rakatan people; there must be someone else who could lead."

The One coughed up a dark green substance that Carth had unfortunately enough come to recognize as blood, "No Carth Onasi, you must lead only you know how to defeat the abominations that have killed me."

Carth took the necklace slowly, still shocked he was going along with this, "But how can I lead if I can't ever speak to your people?"

The One's pain stricken face smiled, "Seek out the Storyteller, Revan forced your language on him as well, he can teach you what to do and say."

Carth sighed and patted the One's hand; "I will do my best to lead your people to victory in you place, rest in peace."

The One looked quizzical at his response, but before he could speak his eyes glazed over and his body went limp.

Carth rose to his feet and laid the necklace over his shoulders in the fashion that the One had worn it. Reaching down to retrieve the One's vibroswords Carth attached them to his belt and face the Rakatan Warriors as they cried out in a deep throaty cry, obviously mourning the One's death.

Carth readied his pistols and left the War Room, only moments after he left did the Warriors form up around him, as if to escort him.

Carth glanced at the leader, "I need to find the Storyteller."

The leader looked at him, obviously not understanding, but Carth repeated himself several times and finally after some wide gestures the Rakatan Warrior nodded and lead Carth off into another part of the Rakatan settlement, one where the Sith attack had failed to reach.

The Rakatan leader showed him where the Storyteller was, and after bowing respectfully, set his Warriors in a guard around the doorway.

The Storyteller was an ancient Rakata, his black skin almost gray with age.

He looked up as Carth approached and spoke in the same clear Common as the One except that he somehow managed to make it sound natural, "So the rumors are true on both counts, the One has been slain and even more amazing, he named you to succeed him."

Carth frowned at the aged Rakata, "I'm sorry for the loss of your leader, but he told me that you could teach me to speak the language of your people."

The Storyteller eyed him with one eye one, "Yes I can Carth Onasi, but first you must prove that you are worthy to lead the Rakatan."

Carth's stomach became a ice cavern, "What do you mean 'prove that I am worthy', isn't the fact that the One chose me enough?"

The ancient Rakata laughed, "No Carth Onasi, having the One chose you only tells us who he wants to succeed him, but only if you can defeat any who wish to lead can you truly become the leader of the Rakatan people."

Carth growled, "Well, first we need to stabilize our positions against the Sith or they will over run us very soon."

The Storyteller stood surprisingly quick for one as old as he, "No! You will deal with any and all opponents now or the Rakatan people will splinter with your first command, especially considering that you are not Rakatan."

Carth sighed and sat down on a wicker chair, "Very well Storyteller, but will you at least tell me what is going to happen?"

The old Rakata smiled and sat back down, "Good. Now listen closely Carth Onasi and you may survive long enough to lead the Rakatan people to victory."

Carth leaned forward as he listen even as his mind screamed at him, _What am I doing? Becoming the leader of the Rakatan! I must be crazy!_ A faint smile crossed his lips, _Well, if I can pull this off maybe I can finally defeat the Sith and save Revan from himself._

**THE _VENGEANCE_, TRALUS SYSTEM**

Revan, the Dark Lord of the Sith, stood on the bridge of his flagship as his bridge crew ran through their final system checks.

Behind him waited Darth Shalla and Lt. Commander Zintel as they both waited for Revan's orders, further back by the main entrance to the bridge stood HK-47, who had been remodeling his exterior after Revan and Shalla had gotten their new armor; the droid now was completely covered in a glossy black color which only made its red eyes more menacing.

Revan watched as most of the fleet that had captured Tralus jumped into hyperspace, off to join General Oree at Talus; once there they would be under the General's command as he lead the Sith forces in the Corellian sector onto more glorious victories.

After the fleet jumped, leaving only six Sith Destroyers to guard Tralus, Revan turned to face his apprentice and his first officer. Shalla met his death-like face without flinching, she had long gotten used to seeing his face without its mask covering it as it was now. Zintel, however, broke out into a light sweat and nervously wiped his hands on his pants before stilling them.

Revan's grim expression did nothing to help the Lt. Commander's nervousness as he spoke, "Lt. Commander Zintel have the _Vengeance_ set a course for the Garqi system, once we arrive position us inside the Jinathik Asteroid Belt."

The nervous Lt. Commander bowed deeply and quickly walked off, if only to escape Revan's presence.

The Dark Lord then looked to Shalla, whose faceplate was also retracted to show how her face had begun to take on the death-like appearance that Revan's had, "When we reach the Jinathik Asteroid Belt you, HK-47, myself, and a platoon of Elite Sith Troopers will continue onto Garqi, I don't want the Republic to notice us until I am ready for them." Revan glanced at his apprentice before continuing, "Once we make landfall you and I will scout out the Jedi Enclave; then once the time is right we will strike and eliminate the Jedi threat there once and for all."

Shalla smiled eagerly as Revan took a seat in his command chair, "I am looking forward to this Master."

Revan nodded cruelly, "So am I my apprentice, so am I."

Author's Note: Sorry about how long it took me to write this chapter, I was having some trouble getting it all to flow nicely, hopefully after this it will be easier and the next chapters will be quicker. But anyway, thanks to everyone who has been so patient and for everyone who has reviewed the story so far.


	12. Ever Closer

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.

Chapter 12: Ever Closer

With the brightness of hyperspace illuminating the bridge of the _Vengeance_ Darth Revan, the Dark Lord of the Sith, sat in his command chair clad in his black and red Shadow Armor. In his gauntleted hand Revan held a report on Garqi, his ship's destination.

According to the report there were three known Republic warships, one of which was the _Hands of Justice_, orbiting Garqi serving as the planet's defense and an escort force, along with a small force of independent freighters and fighters, for the small convoy of transports gathering to bring the Jedi refugees, survivors of Malak's attack on the Dantooine Enclave, to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

Revan nodded, he knew he would be able to land slip the _Ebon Hawk_ onto the planet with enough Elite Sith Troopers to allow him to wipe out any Republic forces on the surface while he and his apprentice, Darth Shalla, destroyed the Jedi that Malak couldn't.

With a sigh Revan leaned back in his chair, letting his mind wander as he rested his eyes from the seemingly endless reports and orders he needed to fill. As he thought he found his thoughts slowly turning to Bastila, which puzzled him, even though he had planned this entire mission to capture Bastila and turn her awesome Battle Meditation against the Republic. He knew he didn't need Bastila to defeat the Republic, her capture would only hasten his victory, but if that was so he should have dismissed any thoughts of her with the coming mission.

But even as he tried to move on, thinking of how he would enjoy conquering Coruscant and crushing the final weak remnants of the Jedi Order his thoughts seemed to return to Bastila on their own, before he finally thought about his last encounter with his former apprentice. While he had contacted her through their bond he had basically told her he loved her, but at the time the words and the emotions he had used had only been to keep her from using her Battle Meditation against him. The fact that when her powers followed her feelings and ended up helping him only had shown him that he could use her obvious feelings for him as another avenue to weaken her Battle Meditation if she used them against him again.

However, as he followed his thoughts through those last memories he wasn't sure that what he'd said and felt hadn't just been an act to weaken Bastila. Revan prided himself in always knowing himself and being honest about his thoughts, that was how he always seemed so confident in everything he did. When he and Bastila had been searching for the Star Forge he had found her attractive and admired her powerful presence when in battle, but his subconscious had always warned him about trusting anything involved with the Jedi, a fact only reinforced when he discovered what she and the Jedi Council had done to him. As a result he had not let those minor attractions go any further.

Then when Malak turned her and she eventually became his apprentice in the Dark Side of the Force he had had many things to distract him and retaking control of the Sith Empire that his former apprentice had almost managed to destroy. Besides that he knew that if he and his apprentice became openly involved she would use that weakness against him when she was ready to take the title of Dark Lord of the Sith for herself. The only possible way that he would ever consider Bastila as more than a weapon to use again the Republic and a strong apprentice was if he had been the one to turn her, but since it had been Malak he knew that deep down in Bastila's heart she still had some loyalty to Malak and that would mean she could betray him if he wasn't always on his guard at all times.

Revan snarled, the datapad in his gauntleted hand was crushed as he angrily clenched his hand into a fist, _Why couldn't I have kept her from Malak just long enough to turn myself?_ Then Bastila would still be at my side and, Revan's lips twitched as he remembered their brief embrace on the _Ebon Hawk_ when she had first confessed her feelings to him, _in my heart_.

Revan shook his head as the brilliant tunnel of hyperspace surrounding the _Vengeance_ shattered to reveal the Garqi system's sun glowing brightly, obscured by the system's two asteroid belts and three planets.

Lt. Commander Zintel quickly and efficiently, even if the younger officer still seemed extremely nervous to be under Revan's direct command, set the Sith Battlecruiser along a course that would place the _Vengeance_ in the Jinathik Asteroid Belt without alerting the Republic patrols watching the system.

With a final glance at Garqi's sun as it disappeared behind the Garqi system's outer planet, Elsho, Revan rose from his command chair and returned to his quarters to prepare himself for the mission that would lead to Bastila returning to his side and if everything went well, the death of the Republic's last hope for defeating his power.

**RAKATAN SETTLEMENT, RAKATA**

With an arm jarring impact Carth Onasi stumbled back as his off-hand's vibrosword was sent spiraling through the air before it stabbed into the dirt floor of the duel ring, ten meters away, wobbling slightly from the impact before becoming still.

Shifting both hands to his remaining vibrosword Carth watched grimly as his opponent, a tall black Rakatan Warrior with more scars on any one body than Carth had seen, roared a loud battle cry as he twirled his double bladed vibrosword into another attack.

Carth, sweat dripping from his naked torso, jumped, parried, and ducked away from each attack as his opponent's attacks became fiercer with each step Carth took away from the Warrior.

Carth sagged left, inviting a quick strike that would decapitate him, but even as the Warrior struck the quick footed human leapt right and stabbed deeply into the Warrior's unguarded flank. Dark blood oozed from the wound and down Carth's blade as the Rakatan Warrior collapsed to the ground.

With a grunt Carth pulled his blade free and place it back in its ornate sheathe as he retrieved the other vibrosword from the dirt.

From the shadows the Rakatan Storyteller stepped forward, "Well done Leader-To-Be Carth Onasi, by defeating Clan Leader Sulkzan you have nearly proved yourself worthy to lead the people of Rakata. All that remains for you to do is defeat the final opponent, Warlord Tulz'aha from The One's Home Island."

Carth groaned as he stretched his arms and heard a loud pop from his shoulder. I'm getting to old for this, he thought wryly as he wiped sweat from his face, "Well that's good news, once I beat this Tulz'aha then I can finally set the frontlines to rights and start pushing the Sith Droid Army again."

The Rakatan Storyteller's aged face became as hard as stone as he handed Carth his flight jacket, "Do not dwell on the future Leader-To-Be or the present will be kill you before you get there."

Carth nodded, "Alright, what do I need to know about Warlord Tulz'aha before I face him?"

The Storyteller's face soften from a steely expression to soft stone as he continued, "Warlord Tulz'aha was The One's best general before The One came here to try and gain the secrets in the Temple, since then Tulz'aha has been delegated to guarding the outer edges of the Empire after he opposed The One's decision to come here. He has the most support to succeed The One as our leader," the aged Storyteller's mouth cracked in a slight smile, "except that was until you began to defeat many of the other claimants to The One's position, now all that stands between you and becoming our Leader in Tulz'aha, after that no one else will come close to the support to try and challenge you. However, you are also the only thing that stands between Tulz'aha and his quest as well; which ever one of you wins will become our next Leader."

Carth nodded grimly so this next fight, or Rite of Leadership Duel as it was called by the Rakatan, would be the deciding factor to whether he would be able lead the Rakatan and attempt to save Revan from himself or if he would die on this forgotten world while Darth Revan plunged the galaxy into a new age of darkness.

With a sigh Carth pulled his battered, orange jacket on and followed the Storyteller to his quarters where he would rest until Tulz'aha arrived and the fate of the Rakatan people would be decided in one final duel.

**_EBON HAWK_, GARQI SYSTEM**

Darth Revan smiled through his retracted faceplate as he piloted the _Ebon Hawk_ through the slowly tumbling debris field that formed the Jinathik Asteroid Belt that surrounded Gargi's only inhabited world. Beside him was Shalla as his apprentice monitored Garqi as the planet grew in their viewport, landing on the planet without the Republic spotting them was going to require some tricky maneuvers, the Republic had set out nearly every small fighter, freighter, and transport to patrol the edges of the system.

However, Revan had a plan that would give him the advantage he needed to slip past the Republic patrols unnoticed.

Two days ago, while honing his skills in his quarters, Revan found a hidden compartment in the only possession he had found from his time as Dark Lord before his capture by Bastila. The standard chest had held a few interesting items but nothing that would help him in his efforts, though he did find a small journal that had triggered a number of lost memories. But when he was looking through it he noticed how the bottom sounded hollow and after prying the bottom up the he had found a half dozen small holocrons filled with ancient secrets of the Sith, the Jedi, and even Force users who had been outcasts from both sides that he had gathered while he and Malak had wondered after the Mandalorian Wars, before they found the Star Forge. Most of the information had only been histories and coordinates for long destroyed Enclaves, but two discs were full of little talents that could give him an advantage over his ignorant foes. Revan had no idea where he had found these discs, most of his memories were slowly returning but he still had large gaps that were yet to be filled, but he quickly began to study them and found that he wasn't even scratching his full potential.

One of those secrets had been how to use the Force to hide his visual presence just as a stealth unit, plus how to shield his strong Force presence from other Force users until he chose to reveal himself, while still retaining the full use of his powerful abilities.

Revan rolled the _Ebon Hawk_ over the last asteroid of the Jinathik and the inhabited planet of Garqi filled the cockpit's forward viewport.

Revan skillfully adjusted the freighter's course so that it was aimed toward Garqi's northern continent, where the Jedi Enclave was located, and looked over to his apprentice, "Take control Shalla, keep us along this path no matter what, if you need to adjust our speed so we don't collide with another ship do so, but we need to remain on the course."

Shalla, her retracted faceplate revealing her surprised face, stared at him in disbelief, "What are you saying Master? If we don't adjust or course we are going to enter weapons range of two of the Republic Cruisers and who knows how many of the other craft the Republic has patrolling this system."

Revan ignored her momentarily as he rose from his seat, "You should know better than to question me, my apprentice, do as I say and the Republic forces will never see us until we have the Jedi by the throat."

Shalla bowed her head obediently, "Yes Master." With one last questioning look she turned back to her controls and began scanning the _Ebon Hawk_'s sensor panel for approaching Republic ships.

Revan closed his eyes and calmly lowered himself to the freighter's deck beside the Galaxy Map and placed a barrier that would hide his Force presence from other Force user, Sith or Jedi, and then began to place a heavily adapted version of the illusion of Force Camouflage around the freighter.

A thin layer of sweat appeared on Revan's forehead as he concentrated on drawing images from one side of the _Ebon Hawk_ to the other side, creating the illusion to anyone outside that there was nothing hanging in the space that the freighter filled.

From the information on the holocrons he'd found Force Camouflage was generally used to hide no more than a single individual, using the skill as he was probably had never been done before and Revan was quickly seeing why, maintaining the illusion around the entire freighter was difficult even with their course unchanging, if they began to make sudden course changes Revan was certain that he, as powerful as he was, wouldn't be able to maintain the illusion enough to fool Republic sensors.

Finally he accomplished his goal and the _Ebon Hawk_ was fully surrounded by the illusion of Force Camouflage, now that the illusion was in place all he would need to do was continue to channel Force energy into the illusion and the _Ebon Hawk_ would remain invisible to all sensors. Relaxing his shoulders Revan rose to his feet as he opened his eyes and stepped up behind Shalla's pilot chair as she monitored the positions of nearby Republic ships.

Shalla pointed to a pair of Republic fighters that were approaching them quickly, "Master those fighters will see us, we need to take a less guarded course or we won't even make it past the first patrol without every ship in the system descending on us."

Revan suppressed a laugh, when he had found the holocrons he hadn't shared anything with his apprentice, doing so would only lose an advantage he had over her, so to Shalla the illusion of Force Camouflage was invisible as well. By hiding his Force presence he also hid anything he did with the Force unless someone was looking for what he was doing, so from Shalla's perspective all he had done was sit done behind her for a few minutes and then stood up again; she most think he had gone mad.

"Remain on course my apprentice," he could barely suppress a smile as she shock her head in disbelief.

"Master you can't be serious, you are going to get us killed!" Shalla yelled.

Revan only nodded slowly, "That could happen, but I doubt it."

Shalla shook her head in anger, "You _doubt_ it? Master have you gone completely mad! You are going to get us both killed and doom the Sith Empire even more than thoroughly than the Republic could ever dream."

Revan's face became deathly smooth and without moving a muscle Shalla was suddenly lifted from her chair and slammed into the cockpit wall opposite the forward viewport. Shalla stared at Revan's back in fear at what she'd just said, but then all that fear was amplified as she felt herself choking.

As Shalla groaned under Revan's care the Dark Lord suddenly spun until he was inches from her paling face, "You forget your place my _apprentice_, it is not you place to question me about anything."

Shalla's voice escaped her as a strangled whisper, "I…am sorry…my Master…I forgot myself…it…it will not happen again."

Revan held her for a few more seconds before he let her fall in a shaking heap on the deck. He silently returned to watching Garqi as it grew large in the forward viewport, "You are beginning to become confident Darth Shalla, that is good, as long as doing so does not make you forget what your place is. Don't forget again or you will not live to learn from that mistake."

Shalla rose to her feet and bowed to Revan's back, "Yes Master, I am you obedient servant." At Revan's nod Shalla meekly returned to her chair and watched the approaching Republic fighters silently as Revan stood like a stone statue behind her chair.

Revan glanced down at the sensor screen, "Decrease our speed by .7."

Shalla nodded and complied quickly, moments later both fighters flashed in front of the cockpit's forward viewport, missing it by fifteen meters.

Revan nodded, satisfied that everything was going according to plan, "Return to our original speed." As the fighters disappeared behind them the _Ebon Hawk_ began to pass through the weapons range of two of the Republic Cruisers orbiting Garqi, including the _Hands of Justice_.

Shalla increased the _Ebon Hawk_'s speed and glanced up at Revan, "We will be entering Garqi's upper atmosphere in ten minutes Master."

Revan nodded absently, his attention focused on the Republic Cruiser that they were passing he quickly fought the urge to touch Bastila's mind through their bond, doing so would quickly give away their presence here, but he smiled mentally, _Soon Bastila, very soon you will be with me again and my, our, fate in the galaxy will be assured_.

The _Ebon Hawk_'s hull bucked as they entered into Garqi's atmosphere Revan glanced down at Shalla, "Proceed to the landing zone, but keep our speed low, the sound of our engines will give us away if we come to close to any settlements."

Shalla nodded, "As you command Master."

Revan turned and started out of the cockpit, "Contact me when we land, I will be in the cargo hold."

Shalla bowed her head as Revan walked out of the cockpit, "Yes Master." As the cockpit door closed behind him Shalla whispered menacingly, "And I will prove myself to you once again, no matter what I must do, even if I need to kill every Jedi on this planet to do it."

Author's Note: Well that's Chapter 12, I hope this cleared up Revan's intentions and such, SORRY it took so long, life's been hectic recently and I haven't had time to finish this chapter, but hopefully things will calm down enough that I can get up to speed again. Thanks again for you patience and all your faithful reading and reviewing.


	13. Crossroads

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.

Chapter 13: Crossroads

Revan stepped down the boarding ramp of the _Ebon Hawk_ into the small mountain clearing where Shalla had landed the red and black freighter. Already the platoon of Elite Sith Troopers were pulling a camouflage tarp over the freighter and setting up small beacons that would mask the ship for Republic patrols. The Elites were no longer wearing their normal black and red armor; instead they had donned armor that would allow them to blend into Garqi's unique purple and green plant life. Even as Revan and Shalla stepped exited the _Ebon Hawk_ pairs of Elites were spreading out to search the surrounding area for any Republic or native personal and setting up passive sensor that would warn them before anyone got close enough to see the small Sith force.

Revan stepped out from under the camouflage tarp, his faceplate retracted; so he could take a deep breathe of the fragrant mountain air. Beside him Shalla fingered her double bladed lightsaber nervously, as if she expected the Republic to pounce on them at any moment. Revan sighed silently and retracted his faceplate; ever since he had put Shalla in her place while they were on route to Garqi she had been a little quiet and constantly eyed him whenever she didn't think he would notice. He did regret crushing her so hard, but he couldn't afford to have his apprentice thinking she could oppose him, next thing that would happen she would be opposing his decisions in front of Sith personnel or even try to challenge him for the title of Lord of the Sith. Revan's mouth quirked in a slight smile at the thought that Shalla was confident enough to even try and defeat him in combat.

Revan shook his head slightly, he would not let himself _assume _that Shalla would not challenge him, if what had happened on the _Ebon Hawk_ was any sign Shalla was very close to feeling sure enough about her skills to try and take the mantle of Lord of the Sith from him. His actions had deflated her confidence enough to buy him some time, but soon Shalla would regain the confidence she lost and when that happened she would have outlived her usefulness to him.

Revan glanced over at his apprentice, who was busying herself by checking the _Ebon Hawk_'s port landing gear, Shalla had been a good apprentice, but by the end of this mission she would no longer be a factor in Revan's conquest of the Republic.

A faint clank announced HK-47's decent from the freighter; the black assassin droid raised had it regular Blaster Carbine in its hands and had a scoped Blaster Rifle hanging from it's strap at it's back on top of the assassin droid's pair of sheathed vibroswords. Revan smiled behind his faceplate and approached his loyal servant, "HK-47 I would like to speak with you."

The assassin droid's red eyes glowed brighter as it followed Revan to the edge of the clearing, "Statement: Do you need me to kill something Master?"

Revan shook his head slightly, "Not yet HK, first I need you to search for the quickest path that a strike team could take to the Jedi Enclave without being seen. I know this is going to be regretful, but I want you to avoid combat if at all possible, if you engage the Jedi to soon you may alert them to our presence and that could ruin everything I have planned."

HK-47 bowed its head slightly, "Resignation: As you command Master, while I wish that I didn't need to sneak around I do understand the value of secrecy before striking, it will allow me to kill more Jedi meatbags later."

Revan nodded, then glanced back at the _Ebon Hawk_ before returning his gaze to his loyal assassin droid, "Also HK, I believe Shalla may consider betraying me soon, I want you to watch her, if you see any signs of her planning to betray me I want to be notified immediately."

HK seemed to sag slightly in disappointment, "But, Master if you meatbag apprentice is indeed planning to betray you it would be preferable to blast her entrails now, I do not wish you to be damaged like the last time you apprentice betrayed you."

Revan shook his head sternly, "No HK, Shalla is not cowardly like Malak she will challenge me fact-to-face, but I will need her before this mission is over and I do not want her to be killed before that, I just want you to keep you eyes open."

HK-47 nodded slowly, "Obvious Statement: Besides the fact that I do not have eyes to keep open, I will keep my photoreceptors primed and my weapons systems optimal so that when you what me to blast you apprentice I will be ready to fulfill you orders."

Revan chuckled slightly as the black assassin droid disappeared into the Garqi wilderness, its black coloring hiding it perfectly into the shadows.

Revan turned back to the freighter and suppressed a chuckle as Shalla approached with a bit of her old confidence already returning, judging by the proud swagger she was using, but when she saw Revan she quickly adopted a much more meek and uncertain pose as she approached him.

Revan narrowed his eyes, _So Shalla that's your game? You think you'll try and present a meek front to me and then strike when my back is turned_, the Dark Lord smiled slightly, _won't you be surprised when you find me expecting you and ready to return your favor_.

Shalla bowed deeply, her head nearly touching her knees, "Everything is in place my Master, the Republic or the Jedi will not find us until we are ready to show ourselves to them when you crush them beneath your power."

Revan crossed his arms and watched as Shalla held her bow until she began to waver as blood rushed to her head, "Very good my apprentice, you will return to the ship and train in your quarters until I call for you."

Shalla started slightly, she had not been told to go train since her elevation to the rank of Darth, while she had still been training under Revan, "Yes Master." Shalla rose and with a still meek posture she disappeared into the _Ebon Hawk_.

Revan smiled slightly, that should keep her occupied until he was ready to strike at the Jedi Enclave and keep her from trying to challenge him until he had completed his goals here.

The sun faded below the horizon, leaving the sky to fade into darkness, a blanket of stars revealing themselves in the world below.

The Dark Lord of the Sith smiled behind his faceplate, soon all would be ready, and he would be able to reveal his might to the Jedi Enclave and the Republic.

_And to Bastila_, now that thought echoed silently through Revan's mind throughout the night with an unending clarity.

JEDI ENCLAVE, GARQI 

_Bastila was standing in the doorway to the rest of the Enclave, Master Zhar and Master Vandar on either side of her. Before them stood two figures, both clad in frighteningly polished black armor streaked with what looked liked blood and faceless silver-black masks covering their faces, the shorter wielded a purple double-sided lightsaber while the taller held a lightsaber that somehow was a frightening black that seemed to warp the light surrounding it and consume it completely._

_Zhar stepped in front of her, his lightsaber dormant in his had, but when he opened his mouth no sound came out, as if Bastila was watching everything through an invisible wall of glass, but it was clear from his stance that he was trying to distract the pair of dark figures._

_Suddenly Vandar grabbed her arm and said something, but only his mouth moved in an eerie silence as the shorter figure surged forward to engage Master Zhar. Whoever the figure was, Master Zhar was no match for them and within minutes the wise Twi'lek Jedi Master was laying on the ground in quickly growing pool of his own blood, his once again dormant green lightsaber rolling away from the wounded Jedi._

_Vandar left her side and charged into battle, his small purple lightsaber clashing with the shorter figure's, but as they fought a Republic transport silently appeared overhead, Republic soldiers and Jedi Bastila didn't recognize jumping down to engage the two dark figures._

_The next thing Bastila knew she and Vandar were on the transport and were flying away from the two figures, dead soldiers and Jedi laying about both of them._

_Then Bastila saw who the taller figure was as he removed his faceless helmet, it was Revan. Revan's face stared after her in a sadness that was clear even with his face ravaged by the Dark Side._

_Then the other figure stabbed Revan through the chest._

_Bastila screamed a soundless scream and jumped from the transport. As she fell time seemed to slow as the ground approached her. The shorter figure withdrew their lightsaber and deactivated it, stepping back to watch Revan die._

_Bastila felt tears running down her face silently, and then suddenly she was holding Revan's head in her hands, a look of shock, pain and sadness on his lifeless face._

_Bastila set Revan down and locked eyes with her love's faceless murderer. Suddenly Revan's lightsaber was in her hand and she attacked the figure, letting her anger rush through her, bringing the power of the Dark Side to grasp again._

_Finally she stabbed the figure, exactly the same way they had killed Revan._

_With her anger and hatred running through her she removed the helmet and stared into the lifeless face of a blonde haired women, blood staining her pale cheeks._

_Bastila began to stand to destroy the woman's body when her face suddenly changed and Bastila was staring into her own lifeless face as it had looked when she had succumbed to the Dark Side._

_Bastila felt her knees weaken and then give way, she reached out to touch the face that looked like hers, but as she touched it her face became Revan's. Not Darth Revan's corrupted face, but Aaron Star's face when she had first seen him on Taris, before the Dark Side had begun to leave its mark on him._

_Then Aaron's lifeless mouth opened and a single word emerged, shattering the eerie silence with its quiet whisper, "Bastila."_

_She rose from her knees and tried to run, but Aaron's face followed her, her name emerging from the lifeless face in a pleading tone that seemed to grow louder the faster she ran, "Bastila. Bastila."_

_She ran harder, tears running down her face and finally her voice returned, "I'm sorry." Then a painfully bright light consumed her and Aaron's face disappeared…_

Bastila sat upright suddenly, a cold sweat slicking her brown hair to her forehead. She wiped her forehead and slowly tried to get her breathing under control. She gave her head a shake to try and clear her thoughts, but all she could do was shake uncontrollably and let her tears run freely without end down her face.

As she tried to regain control her emotions she, likewise, tried to make sense of what she had just seen, she was certain that it had been a vision, but the Force had not granted her a vision of the future, she was certain that it had to have been of the future, since her capture by Malak.

Whatever it had meant, Bastila was sure that it had something to do with her and Revan and that meant that she couldn't let him die, even if it meant giving herself to the Dark Side again.

With that thought echoing through her mind Bastila sat through the night, rocking herself and trying to stop crying.

RAKATAN SETTLEMENT, RAKATA 

Carth gulped slightly as he slid his newly sharpened vibroswords into their sheaths on his back and adjusted the ceremonial armor that covered his chest, shoulders, and waist.

Just outside the slatted wooden door waited the Storyteller and two Rakatan Warriors who would escort him to the Duel Ring, where he would face Warlord Tulz'aha for the right to lead the Rakatan people.

Looking at himself on more time in the scratched piece of metal he used as a mirror Carth scratched his clean-shaven face, he had finally used a small knife to shave after he found a small group of insects nesting in his then three inch long beard. With a final sigh he stepped out of his quarters and fell into step with as the Warriors lead him to the Duel Ring.

Beside him the Storyteller spoke softly, but quickly in his people's guttural language, "Now remember everything that you must do before the Rite of Leadership Duel begins Leader-To-Be Carth Onasi. If you fail to observe even one you will be executed for dishonoring the Rite of Leadership and Tulz'aha will become the Leader."

Carth nodded sharply and replied in the Rakatan language, "I understand Storyteller," Carth sighed again, "if I don't make it through this I just wanted to say thank you for everything you've done for me."

The Storyteller shook his aged gray skin, "To not help you would have dishonored the memory of The One, who wanted you to lead our people against our new enemies."

Carth smiled faintly as the Rakatan Warriors stepped aside and Carth and the Storyteller entered the Duel Ring. Keeping with the rules of the Rite of Leadership the Ring was empty except for twelve of the highest-ranking Rakatan Warlord and Clan Chiefs.

Across the Duel Ring stood Tulz'aha with his advisor, the Rakatan Warlord was possibly the largest Rakatan Carth had ever seen. Easily two heads taller than Carth and half again as broad in the shoulders, Tulz'aha held two vibroswords in his hand, painted blood red, to match the elaborate armor that covered him.

The Storyteller and Tulz'aha's advisor met in the center of the Ring, leaving Carth and Tulz'aha to glare at each other.

The two Rakatan spoke briefly in the center before returning to their respective charges. The Storyteller bowed slightly before speaking, "Warlord Tulz'aha is ready to begin," at the same time as Tulz'aha's advisor the Storyteller called out to the twelve Rakatan watching, "If it pleases the Band of the Leader, the Rite of Leadership Duel will begin."

All twelve Rakatan nodded and the Storyteller and Tulz'aha's advisor quickly exited the Duel Ring.

Tulz'aha drew both of his vibroswords and bowed stiffly to Carth and bellowed, "For the glory of Rakata!"

Carth barely had time to draw his own blades before Tulz'aha's reached him, their blades flashed with brilliant sparks as the force of Tulz'aha's attack pushed Carth's feet back.

Carth snarled silently and disengaged his blades, but Tulz'aha pushed forward, never giving him an inch to recover from the original attack.

Tulz'aha pushed back against Carth's left blade and in doing so exposed himself, Carth snapped his foot out and connected solidly with the Rakatan Warlord's flank. Tulz'aha grunted and back off, giving Carth the moment he needed to recover from the initial attack.

Now with both combatants having gauged each other's strengths they both circled each other, looking for a weakness to exploit to their own advantage. Tulz'aha surged forward in a red blur before his blades connected with Carth's with a force that made Carth's arms shudder.

Carth slanted his blades and let Tulz'aha's slide off into the dirt, Tulz'aha quickly recovered and returned to the attack. With a sharp flick of his wrist Tulz'aha twisted Carth's right blade hard, making Carth's fingers drop the hilt.

Before Carth could recover his lost blade Tulz'aha pressed him back as Carth moved both of his hands to his remaining blade's hilt. Carth quickly fell into a defense stance as he blocked both of Tulz'aha's blades while he tried to take advantage of his shortage of weaponry.

Carth smiled grimly as a glancing blow drew blood across his left bicep. Tulz'aha's attacks became blurs as he tried to beat down Carth's defense, but Carth hung on tenaciously until he lashed out and felt his blade connect with Tulz'aha's left hand and cut through smoothly.

The Rakatan Warlord roared out in pain as his blade and his hand fell into the dirt, his dark blood staining the dry dirt. Tulz'aha held his remaining blade in front of him and watched Carth with a fiery anger burning in his eyes.

Carth pressed his advantage and began to push the injured Rakatan back until he stepped over his other blade, lying in the dirt where he had dropped it. Tulz'aha leapt back to get clear of Carth's attack, giving Carth the chance he needed to pick up his lost blade.

Now that he was fully armed again he pressed Tulz'aha's one-handed defense with all his skill. Tulz'aha desperately tried to block Carth's attacks as he tried to go on the offensive against his opponent.

Carth snapped a kick low and dropped the Rakatan Warlord to the dirt, while at the same time he flicked his right blade to throw Tulz'aha's remaining blade away from the injured Rakatan.

Carth placed his right blade over Tulz'aha's throat and remained silent as the Warlord looked into his opponent's eyes and accepted that he had been defeated. With the humble air of defeat and acceptance Tulz'aha croaked, "I yield to you Carth Onasi."

Tossing his left blade away Carth held his other over Tulz'aha's throat in the way the Storyteller had shown him as the correct way on an opponent defeated in a Rite of Leadership Duel.

Carth looked up to the twelve Rakatan who formed the Band of the Leader and spoke slowly in their own tongue, "I have defeated my worthy opponent, Warlord Tulz'aha, and now claim the title of the Leader of the Rakatan people, if it pleases the Band."

All twelve nodded, if a bit grudgingly, as the head of the Band spoke, "We the Band of the Leader do hereby recognize Carth Onasi as our new Leader." All twelve nodded again and started to turn their backs, their ceremonial way of showing they no longer consider Tulz'aha a potential Leader for the Rakatan.

This was where Carth was going to take a risk everything and break away from the traditions of a Rite of Leadership Duel. Removing his blade from Tulz'aha's neck he stabbed it into the dirt of the Duel Ring and extended a hand to the Warlord, "Our people now face the greatest threat ever, I would be a fool to kill such a competent leader in such desperate times."

Tulz'aha stared at his hand for a moment as if expecting a trick before batting Carth's hand away, "I have already been defeated by you, do not dishonor me further. With you as our Leader I have risen in rebellion again you, it is your place to kill me for it."

Carth shook his head, now fully aware that the Band was looking at him in shock, "Warlord Tulz'aha I now give you a pardon for your crimes while trying to do what you saw as the best for your people. I will not hold that against you, I would do the same thing as you to try and save my homeworld's people if I could have." Carth extended his hand again, "Now will you help me defeat the new threat that now faces Rakata?"

Tulz'aha still stared, but this time into his face, searching out Carth's true feelings. Finally he grasped Carth's hand let his new Leader pull him to his feet, "Thank you Leader, you are indeed a wise, if unique, man. The right one to lead our people to victory over the Sith abominations."

Carth nodded and stepped past Tulz'aha to face the Band of the Leader, "Now, if the Band wills, I will officially take the place of the Leader of the people of Rakatan. My first act as Leader is to officially pardon Warlord Tulz'aha and return him to his position. I also make him my military advisor."

The Band of the Leader buzzed between themselves before the head of the Band responded, "Leader Onasi, we do not approve of you breaking the ancient traditions of the Rite of Leadership Duel, but will accept your decision as you are now our Leader. What you have stated will be proclaimed to the Rakatan people, as will you accession as our Leader."

At the same time all twelve spoke in perfect unison, "We the Band of the Leader, do hereby say that Carth Onasi, having defeated all opponents, to be the new Leader of the Rakatan. May his days be many and the blood of our enemies run freely from his blade."

Giving the Band one final bow Carth walked over to the Storyteller who was eyeing him amusedly, "You didn't tell me about that little stunt."

Carth smiled, "If I had what would you have done?"

The Storyteller's aged skin wrinkled as he smiled, "I would have tried to stop you of course, but I now it would have made no difference; still you should have consulted me, you could have undone everything you did with those words."

The new Leader of the Rakatan laughed, "Well all is well Storyteller and now that it is I, no," Carth paused and glanced at the Storyteller and Tulz'aha, "we can set everything to rights and deal with these Sith for good."

Author's Note: I hope everyone liked this chapter; I had a lot of fun writing it. Thanks for all your reviews and all my faithful readers. Until Chapter 14, keep reading and thanks again.


	14. The Insertion

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.

Chapter 14: The Insertion

The morning sun broke over the mountains, spilling its golden rays down on the small Sith encampment where a squad of Elites and two deadly Sith waited for the moment to strike the unsuspecting Jedi Enclave.

Darth Revan paced the edge of the encampment, just under the branches of the trees that surrounded his small ship, the _Ebon Hawk_; waiting for the return of HK-47, who was again scouting out the route he had found to the Jedi Enclave where Bastila was waiting for him.

Revan froze in his place as that thought entered his mind, suddenly his goal of attacking the Jedi Enclave was no longer to defeat the Republic or to gain control of Bastila formidable Battle Meditation skills it was to bring Bastila back to his side once again.

Revan shook his head to refocus his mind, no matter what his feelings for Bastila he needed to keep his mind clear if he was to survive this attack on the Jedi Enclave and complete his victory over the Republic.

However, no matter what he tried to tell himself his mind continued to dwell on Bastila until HK-47's black armored formed emerged from the brushes, its blaster carbine held ready to fire at a moments notice.

The assassin droid's orange eyes glowed slightly as it spoke to its master, "Statement: I have scouted our route to the Jedi Enclave Master and the Jedi still are ignoring the path; we should have no difficultly reaching the Enclave undetected."

Revan smiled from behind his retracted faceplate, "Excellent work HK, go and gather the Elites together for the attack; I will retrieve my apprentice."

Hk-47 bowed slightly before marching into the _Ebon Hawk_ with faint clanks.

Revan watched the droid disappear inside the black and red freighter before he walked into the forest where Shalla had been hiding for the past hour, believing she had concealed herself from him. Revan stared directly at her, even though she was hidden behind thick underbrush, "You are very foolish my young apprentice to try and eavesdrop on a Sith Master and even more foolish to believe that you could sneak up on me."

The brush stayed still for a moment before it finally stirred and Shalla emerged in her usual meek position, with her head cowed and her body seemingly shrunken back away from him, "I am sorry Master, I was not attempting to eavesdrop on you, and I merely wanted to see if everything was set for our attack on the Jedi."

Revan smirked behind his faceplate, "You are truly that eager to attack the Jedi?"

Shalla nodded quickly, "Yes Master I long for the chance kill the Jedi who are foolish enough to challenge you."

Revan nodded slightly, "You believe that you can defeat any of the Jedi in the Enclave without difficulty?"

Shalla hesitated for a moment before nodding confidently, "Yes I do Master."

Revan crossed his arms as he watched Shalla's face for a moment. Then with a small, evil grin on his face Revan spoke again, "If you are that confident my apprentice, then you should have no problem entering into battle without your Shadow Armor."

Revan relished the sight of the complex emotions running over Shalla face, she was surprised at his statement, then suspicious, however whatever suspicions she had were quickly replaced by an interesting determination as Shalla nodded once and then immediately removed all her armor, leaving her in the Sith Battle Robes that she wore under her armor.

She placed the Shadow Armor at Revan's feet, and knelt before him, "If you require that I prove myself capable of defeating these Jedi scum without the Armor you gave me, then I will do it my Master. A true Sith has no need of them to be victorious against a Jedi." As soon as those words were out of Shalla's mouth Revan saw her freeze and her face became pale with fear of how he would react.

Revan kept his voice emotionless as he spoke, "Are you implying that I am not a true Sith, my young _apprentice_?'

Shalla shook her head vigorously, "No Master of course not, I meant that I should not need the Armor to prove myself a true Sith, I defeated Jedi Master Vrook without the Armor and I can be victorious over any Jedi without it as well." She glanced up at Revan when she fell silent, as if seeing if he believed her.

The Dark Lord of the Sith starred at Shalla for a few moment, but instead of responding he looked to the _Ebon Hawk_, "We will discuss this later, my apprentice. For now we will march to the destruction of the Jedi Enclave."

Shall turned and looked through the forest clearing to where HK-47 was waiting with the Sith Elite Troopers beside Revan's ship, "Yes Master, as you wish."

Revan gathered the Shadow Armor that Shalla had removed and handed it to HK-47, "return this to the armory HK and set its storage capsule to begin cleaning and resetting the settings on the Armor's systems."

HK-47 nodded, "Obedience: As you command Master."

Revan waited for the assassin droid to return before facing the Elites, "Everyone activate your personal stealth units, and be silent; if we give away our position too soon the Jedi will have time to prepare their defenses." Revan suited his actions to his words and quickly hid his Force presence, then used the Force to hide himself. Beside him Shalla activate her stealth unit and withdrew herself from the Force completely to hide herself from the Jedi they would be attacking.

With his entire party cloaked in invisibility, Revan spoke again, "You all know you jobs and where to go, do not fail or you will not live to regret it."

Through his contact with the Force Revan saw the Elites scatter to the half dozen routes to the Jedi Enclave that HK-47 had found. When the final group of Elites disappeared into the purple and green forests of Garqi Revan lead Shalla and HK along the path that they were taking, one that lead to an underground cavern that the Jedi used to meditate, however they didn't know that there were other ways into the cavern other than the one they had built their Enclave on.

By using the cavern to enter the Enclave, Revan would be avoiding the several large groups of Republic Troopers that were stationed around the Enclave to defend it until the transports arrived to take the Jedi to safety on Coruscant. The Sith Elites would be sneaking into those Republic positions and planting explosives though out it so that they could cause chaos to cover Revan's escape.

It took them ten minutes to reach the entrance to the caverns and another twenty to reach the part of the network of caverns that the Jedi used. From there it was easy to hack into the Enclave's computer, disable the security systems, and open the door that normally kept the caverns separate from the rest of the Jedi Enclave.

Once they were inside HK-47 went its own way, the assassin droid's mission was to eliminate all the Jedi apprentices in the Main Barracks and to plant a large explosive near the Enclave's primary power supply to destroy the structure after they had left, to deny the Jedi any use of it again.

Now that they were in the Enclave Revan lightly brushed Bastila through their bond, mainly to find her, but also just to sense her again. From the slow way she responded to his touch and the feelings she was feeling Bastila must have been sleeping. Revan quickly withdrew once he knew where she was so as to not wake her. Revan looked over to Shalla and mumbled slightly, "This way."

Shalla followed silently behind him as Revan lead her through a maze of corridors and rooms, until they reached a beautifully landscaped garden.

And there, laying in the sun sleeping, was Bastila with a book resting against her chest that she had been reading before she fell to the sun's warmth.

Revan reached out to touch her face, but a sudden warning through the Force flashed through him like lightning and with the same speed he drew on the Force to push the threat away.

With a thud Shalla landed near the other edge of the garden, her still active lightsaber hissing as it singed a few strands of grass. Her stealth unit deactivated and she stood there glaring at Bastila and then at Revan as the Dark Lord's Force Camouflage faded to reveal him standing between Shalla and Bastila, his own black lightsaber dormant in his hand.

Shalla's face held a look of surprise and indignation for several moments before she bowed quickly, "I apologize my Master I did not mean to steal you the pleasure of killing the Jedi."

Revan hooked his lightsaber to his belt and crossed his arms, "I have no intention I killing this Jedi my foolish apprentice, and in the future do not try to kill the objective of our mission."

Shalla's face contorted again, this time in pure rage, "You intend to replace me with that _Jedi_? I have served you faithfully, defeated Jedi by your side, and now you will cast me aside and replace me with this weak Jedi doll?" Shalla slowly approached Revan again, her lightsaber still hissing, "If that is indeed how you feel _Master_," Shall somehow managed to make the title one of loathing, "then I will challenge her to a fight to the death to see who will be your apprentice!" Her final words emerged as and echoing yell, which woke Bastila from her slumber.

Revan turned at looked at her as she stared up at him in disbelief, "Revan? How did you get here?"

Before Revan could respond he felt several Jedi and other Republic soldiers approaching them from the far side of the garden. He turned, running to meet them, and activated his black lightsaber just as Jedi Masters Vandar and Zhar entered the garden along with a dozen other Jedi and at least two dozen Republic Soldiers.

The shorter Jedi Master pointed at Revan, "Revan! Repent of the Dark Side and return to the light, or we will be forced to destroy you."

Revan glanced at the group surrounding them and chuckled, "Do you really believe that you can defeat me Master Jedi?" Revan paused before he growled deeply, "You have caused me no end of grief and now Master Vandar you have interfered in the affairs of the Sith for the last time." Revan spun his lightsaber over his head then brought it down to the ready position before rushing forward with a speed only attainable through the Force.

As a black blur he rushed forward and before he had reached Vandar and Zhar, two Republic Soldiers who foolishly tried to stop him fell the ground dead before he had even reached the two Jedi Masters.

Behind him, beyond the sight of the Jedi Masters, Shalla had not forgotten her challenge and rushed forward to engage Bastila. Bastila rose to her feet just in time to block Shalla's first attack as the enraged Sith hammered her opponent.

With a snarl Revan batted aside Zhar's emerald lightsaber while forcing Vandar to move his blade to block Revan's slash. Around them the other Jedi and Republic Soldiers rushed forward to engage the two Sith, trying to take advantage of their superior numbers to destroy to head of the Sith Empire.

Revan laughed to himself as his backhand slash nearly decapitated a Republic Solider, instead only slashing out his throat, even with all this that the Jedi were throwing at him they still could only slow him down slightly. They could not touch his power; he was invincible. Revan blocked another pair of blades sent toward his head, then used a mighty push through the Force to knock back all but Vandar and Zhar, who defended against the assault.

The Dark Lord attack the two Jedi Master with a savage aggression, driving them both back into the Enclave passage ways that they had come from.

Over Revan's shoulder Shalla and Bastila remained locked in their duel, neither side gaining the upper hand over the other. The two combatants remained on the small clearing that Bastila had been lying on, with the feet planted and their lightsabers flashing through the air around them.

Then as if on cue Vandar and Zhar both used the Force to push him back until he hit a planter behind him. They both turned and ran down the hallway, with the few surviving Jedi Knights and Republic Soldiers scattering down other hallways.

Revan stared after them and turned to where Shalla and Bastila fought, he saw know that both combatants had small cuts on their arms and legs, and even one on Bastila's cheek, from their duel. Bastila spun with her single bladed lightsaber as its sulfurous blade clashed against Shalla's two purple blades.

For a moment both combatants stepped back between fighting, before they engaged again. Revan quickly drew on the Force and froze Shalla and Bastila in place. He looked at both women, Shalla quivering with anger and Bastila weary and uncertain, as they locked eyes with his figure as he approached them.

He looked at each them and clipped his lightsaber on his side before speaking, "Are you two done yet? I have driven the Jedi away for now, but they will return soon. If we are to live we sill need to stop fighting long enough to escape. Agreed?"

Both women nodded and Revan released them for the Stasis Field.

The moment that her feet hit the ground Bastila turned and ran down the corridor after Vandar and Zhar. Revan stared after her as he called through their bond, _Bastila! Wait! I have come for you, don't run from me!_

Bastila sorrowful response echoed back, _I can't go with you, not until I can save you!_

Revan felt a deep sadness well up within him, which was replaced by anger. With that anger burning within him he turned to face his apprentice. Shalla stood by with her lightsaber dormant in her hands as she stared angrily after Bastila.

Without warning Revan lifted his hand and Force Lightning shot from his fingers into Shalla, the young woman fell to the ground with a cry of pain, "Because of your foolishness you may have lost us our best chance to destroy some of the most powerful Jedi in the Republic, if you had come with me instead of worrying about your foolish pride, Vandar and Zhar would be dead know and Bastila captive with us. We would have given the Republic the death blow, giving us an undeniable victory. Now instead they have all escaped, and for that you will be punished."

Shalla started to respond, but whatever she said became a wrenching scream as Revan used one of the most painful techniques that he had found amongst his old belongings. Using the Force he suppressed Shalla's memory and bent her will to his completely, when she stopped thrashing in pain and stood to face him, her eyes held a far off look in them and nestled in the back of Revan's mind was a control center that would allow him to control all that Shalla did.

This technique, which was a severely corrupted version of Force Domination, made Shalla his obedient servant, he still had access to all her memories and skills, but she had no control over her mind or her body; in effect she would be only an observer as she watched her body do things and felt her memories being looked at by another. This technique was actually intended for interrogation uses, to break a subject's will and draw out valuable information, but Revan had found that it could be used to _persuade_ unwilling people to do as he wished. The only side effect of the technique was that the person's memory would become steadily worse the longer they were under his control, until it could come to the point that if he released his control on the person, that they would die; their mind would no longer remember how to operate their bodily organs and everything would simply shut down.

However, in Shalla's case long life was not really of possibility no matter how long Revan held her mind.

With Shalla under his control, her and Revan ran down the hallway the Bastila had disappeared into. Revan followed Bastila through their bond until he found a mental image of where she was, _The Enclave entrance._

With Shalla behind him Revan ran toward Bastila, _I'm coming_.

**RAKATAN SETTLEMENT, RAKATA**

Carth smiled toward the doorway that lead to the rest of the Rakatan settlement as it opened to reveal Mission and Zaalbar. The Leader of the Rakata smile as he walked over and gave his friends a hug, "Its do great to see you both alive and well, when you were left on the Temple Island during our withdraw I thought you two were done for."

Mission smiled and shrugged, "After everything we've been through, dodging some dumb droids was a piece of cake. But we should really be talking about you," Mission grinned and broke into a sarcastic narrator's voice, "Ladies and Gentlemen I give you the Leader of the Rakata." She smiled again and spoke in more serious tones, "Still Carth it is impressive, you've gone from a space jockey to the leader of an entire race in a battle against the Sith." She grinned as she continued, "Who'd of though you could have the brains to do that, especially with your age and all."

Carth chuckled, "Oh boy, I have I missed you two, my life has been too orderly, what with convincing the Rakata to follow me to trying to defend against another Sith air attack, without you two here."

Zaalbar roared something and gave Carth a big enough hug that his ribs hurt.

Mission laughed, "Zaalbar says that he's missed your frank and rather dry humor, especially when you are talking to…HEY!" Mission threw a punch at Zaalbar before rolling her eyes at Carth. "So now that we're back what have you gotten yourself into?"

Carth smirked, "Well as you guessed I have become the leader to the Rakata and as such I need to gather a team of advisors to help me lead and to command the people of Rakata."

Mission looked up at Zaalbar and then at Carth, "Us? You want us to help you lead the people of Rakata?"

Carth nodded solemnly, "Come on Mission, you and Zaalbar have the best experience in hiding and fighting a guerilla style war; you grew up doing it. Now I need you to teach the Rakata how to do that to, because we're not going to win this thing in a face to face battle with the Sith, we need to be sneaking and invisible and avoid a slugging match between us and them; otherwise we'll lose."

Mission looked up at her big Wookiee friend, "Well Big Z, what do you say?"

Zaalbar looked down at Mission, then to Carth, before letting out a low roar and an affirmative grunt.

Mission nodded confidently, "Well that settles it." the young blue-skinned Twi'lek turned to Carth, "We're in Pops, lets get started so we can kick the Sith off this rock."

Carth smiled broadly and gestured to the table behind him that laid out the several dozen islands that were under the control of the Rakata, those were outlined with a green twine, while the Temple island and four others were outlined in black; Sith-held territory. "I'm glad that you both agreed, now maybe we can set this war in the right order." Then with a confident chuckle he started explaining the situation to his two friends.

**JEDI ENCLAVE, GARQI**

Bastila had never thought she could run so fast as she had as she fled from Revan and his new apprentice; the natural reaction for someone who had had her love come and try to capture and then have his apprentice try to kill her.

She ran past several small groups of Jedi and larger groups of Republic soldiers as she weaved her way to the landing pad. With a gasp of breath she leaned against the door jam that lead to the landing pad, but what she saw put energy back into her body immediately, standing on the other side of the lading pad were a group of Sith Troopers in terrifying armor that vaguely resembled Revan's new armor. When they saw her they all opened fire without hesitation, scarlet bolts burning holes into the wooden doorway, the scent of burning wood assaulting her nose as she turned to run back into the Enclave.

As she began to run again she began to panic, she didn't now where to go now.

Then a calm soothing presence touched her mind, _Remain calm Bastila, use the Force. Come to the Enclave entrance, we'll be waiting._ Vandar's comforting presence left Bastila calm and resolute in the face of the danger she was in as she ran down the halls of the Enclave to the entrance.

Then that calm was shattered as Revan once again touched her through their bond, _I'm coming_, was the feeling that their bond relayed to her. Revan's mind quickly began trying to use her mind to find her, but she fought him off. Then she almost lost her footing as she stumbled over a pile of rubble; for a split second she concentrated on keeping her balance and, nearly without her knowledge, Revan found where she was going, _The Enclave entrance_.

Bastila regained her balance and composure and was puzzled by how Revan had withdrawn to only a low pressure on her mind, but she still continued to the entrance, where Vandar and Zhar waited for her.

Unbeknownst to her as she placed one foot ahead of the other she was rapidly running toward the climax of so many lives.

Author's Note: Well, hello again to everyone who has been waiting for this chapter. Thanks again to all of those who have loyally read, reviewed, and prodded me to keep this story up. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. What can I say, I love a good cliffhanger. Stay tuned for the next chapter.


	15. Surprises At Every Turn

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.

Chapter 15: Surprises At Every Turn

Revan smiled slightly at himself as he felt an eagerness for battle welling up inside of him that he had not felt since his fight to retake the title of Dark Lord of the Sith from his apprentice on the Star Forge. Just like at that crucial point in his life then, Revan could feel that the next engagement he would fight would be just as important, but for a different reason.

If he fought well in the upcoming fight he knew that he would leave Garqi, not only with the Jedi Order and the Republic in disarray, he would have Bastila at his side again; this time forever.

Beside him Shalla's body ran, while her mind was suppressed under Revan's control, leaving her as his puppet with which to use. Already Revan had begun feeling Shalla's attempts to break his control, they had started weak at first and had steadily grew as Shalla recovered more and more from Revan's mental attack. Revan also knew that no matter how strong he was she would eventually break free, even the weakest mind would break free it was only a matter of time and how much of the person's memory would remember by the time they were able to break themselves free of his control.

Together the two Sith ran through the corridors of the Jedi Enclave on Garqi, coming nearer to the Enclave's entrance where Bastila was waiting.

Ahead of them two Republic soldiers stepped around the corner and were shocked to see Revan and Shalla running at them. To save his own Force powers Revan used his control of Shalla to make her shoot bolts of Force Lightning at both soldiers, leaving them burnt and twitching as they ran by.

Suddenly Revan stopped short, with Shalla pausing in front of him, he could feel several Jedi and even more Republic soldiers around the next corner ready to try and halt his progress and allow Vandar, Zhar, and Bastila time to leave the planet before he could stop them.

Revan glanced at Shalla and easily stroked her anger that she had been containing to the point of rage and then planted the idea that the Jedi and Republic soldiers around the corner were responsible for her anger, after that it was simple to get her natural urges to get her to charge the Jedi and soldiers in a raged-filled aggression.

Through Shalla's mind and his own senses Revan watched as she hacked her way through the three Jedi and a dozen Republic soldiers with reckless fury. Revan felt Shalla get wounded by two blaster bolts as she killed the final Republic soldiers, Revan coldly appraised her wounds and after seeing they would not slow her he decided to save her abilities for the coming fight; though when he rejoined her he did injected her with a packet of kolto to start healing the wounds.

Even though he knew Shalla could never have done what she had just done with out him unleashing her full anger and focusing it on her targets, Revan was still impressed by what she had wrought on the Jedi and their soldier escorts, not a single body had all of its limbs attached and even those who were dead had been cut after they were dead. And all this had been without any of her Force attacks.

Revan quickly pressed on, letting Shalla taking the lead slightly as he followed behind with his lightsaber drawn as they neared the Enclave entrance.

When they entered the antechamber to the entrance Revan saw Bastila standing with Vandar and Zhar, their backs to the open door that lead outside; Vandar and Zhar stood between Bastila and Revan with their dormant lightsabers in their hands, Bastila by a contrast no longer had her lightsaber, instead it hung on Vandar's belt.

As Revan approached Zhar began to speak, but Revan was beyond talking, he was here for Bastila.

**JEDI ENCLAVE ENTRANCE, GARQI**

Bastila walked up to Master Vandar as the small Jedi Master waited with Master Zhar at the Enclave's entrance, as she approached Zhar returned his personal comlink to his belt and spoke to Vandar, "I'm afraid that it will take Admiral Dodonna ten minutes to get a transport here for us."

Vandar sighed, "I had foreseen this, yet even I did not see how short of time we would have; now I fear that we may fail in-" Vandar cut off suddenly when he noticed Bastila. Both Jedi Masters looked at her, but it was Vandar who spoke, "Bastila it is good that you are here, a transport from the Republic ships overhead are sending transport to pick us up, however, we may still need to buy a few more minutes before it arrives, so I am afraid I'll need to ask if you will please give me your lightsaber."

Bastila looked at Vandar in disbelief, "Master if we need to hold the Sith off until the transport arrives you will need every Jedi at your side to face Revan and his new apprentice, perhaps we can even end the threat he presents. If you a worried about me in facing him I understand, but it is not just my life that hangs in the balance, yours and Master Zhar's and all the other Jedi in the Enclave are as well, and with that in my mind I will stay at your side until Revan has been defeated."

Vandar and Zhar glanced at each other before Vandar replied, "I am truly sorry Bastila, but the Force granted me a vision and if what the Force has revealed to me is true then you must not have any lightsaber if you wish to escape with us."

Bastila frowned at him slightly, but finally she nodded and handed over her lightsaber, "As you wish Master." Just then Bastila felt a jolt through her bond to Revan, "Masters," she whispered, "Revan is almost here."

Both Jedi Masters turned and stood in front of her, with their own lightsabers in their hands, Vandar with Bastila's on his hip, as they watch the antechamber's only door.

Suddenly the door opened with a hiss to reveal two figures. The first was a woman who at once might have been beautiful, but use of the Dark Side had corrupted her face leaving only her blonde hair to fall around her face. However, the most disturbing part about the woman was the fact that her face was nearly vacant, as if she was in another place other than her body at that moment.

The other figure Bastila instantly recognized from the moment she saw his armor and black lightsaber; Revan stepped through the doorway as his apprentice crouched before him. His armor's faceless faceplate was retracted to show his real face, ravaged as it had been before by the Dark Side, yet somehow it did not detract from his natural beauty like it did his apprentice, instead it added a layer a mystery and danger to him that he might have lacked otherwise.

Zhar began to speak to Revan in an urgent voice, it instantly became clear to Bastila that Zhar's actions were merely trying to buy time so that the transport would arrive, Vandar went to grab Bastila's arm, then time stood still.

Suddenly Bastila was back in her vision, all the images flashing before her eyes within a second, Master Zhar dying, Revan being murdered, Bastila killing his murderer, and then her seeing Revan's face healed of the Dark Side crying out to her. In the blink of an eye Bastila saw all these things and realized that the Force was trying to tell her something that she had tried to ignore before. If she wanted to save Master Zhar, the Jedi on the planet, and Revan himself, she would have to join Revan willingly.

She came to this decision just as Vandar grabbed her arm, "Come Bastila, we need to escape now before it's to-" Vandar was cut off mid-sentence as Bastila suddenly pushed him away from her and grabbed her lightsaber from his belt. Vandar stumbled backwards for a moment then watch Bastila as she activated her lightsaber and moved into a defensive position, "What are you doing Bastila?"

Bastila looked up from her lightsaber, tears welling up in her eyes, "I sorry Master Vandar, but I can't go with you." Bastila pointed her lightsaber at Zhar, "Now if you would please tell Master Zhar to move aside…"

Vandar looked to Zhar, who had froze the instant he heard Bastila and was now splitting his attention between watching Revan, his apprentice, and Bastila, "What do you hope to accomplish by doing this Bastila? You have seen for yourself that the Dark Side leads only down the path to destruction."

Bastila watched Vandar nervously as she held her lightsaber out, "The only person who will be destroyed is you if you two don't move out of my way."

Vandar glanced at Zhar again and gave him a short nod. As the Jedi Master stood his ground while Vandar turned to Bastila again, "Bastila the path of the Dark Side is powerfully seductive, just because you turned back once, do not think that you can do it again. Do not think that you can turn Revan back simply by joining him. No one can turn without wanting to return themselves and Revan has made it clear that he has chosen his path."

Bastila shook her head, "You do not know him like I do, and you have not had his thoughts in your head like I have." Bastila touched her heart, "You have not seen his heart, I have and I know there is still good in him." Once again the young Jedi motioned with her sulfurous lightsaber, "Now Master Zhar if you would please move aside."

Vandar looked at Bastila for several moments, as if reading Bastila like a book before finally nodding to Zhar, "You may move Master Zhar."

The red skinned Jedi Master looked at Vandar in surprise for a moment before nodding and clearing the way so that Bastila could reach Revan.

Bastila seemed to sag visibly and bowed her head, "Thank you, Master Zhar, Master Vandar if you will excuse me." Bastila held her lightsaber active as she stepped past both Jedi Master's and stopped when she was before Revan, whose face clearly spoke that he was surprised by her actions.

Bastila fell to one knee before the Dark Lord, "Please forgive me for betraying you Master, I beg for your forgiveness and to be allowed to return to your side."

Revan remained silent for almost a minute with only the wind and the sound of Garqi's nature breaking the eerie silence as his face remained as cold as stone. Finally he answered in his usual emotionless voice, "You may return to the Sith Bastila, but forgiveness will take more than just words."

Bastila nodded meekly and stood behind the Dark Lord as he looked at the two Jedi Masters, who both seemed ready to purse them the minute they had left. Then Revan glanced at his apprentice and without saying a word the blonde women leapt to her feet, her purple lightsaber flashing into life as she rushed to attack the two Jedi Masters.

Bastila watched as the blonde woman engaged Zhar and Vandar, the woman's clear rage nearly bringing her the strength to match the two Jedi Masters' skill and experience.

Beside her Revan watched his apprentice and the two Jedi fight as though he was watching a holovideo, arms crossed and his expression calm as his apprentice battled two of the most powerful Jedi Masters in the galaxy.

Finally a loud roar announced the arrival of the Republic reinforcements from the orbiting Republic ships, Bastila and Revan both looked up as two Republic Transports flew overhead, circling to land behind the two Jedi Masters.

Revan glanced down at Bastila, "It looks as if we have overstayed our welcome Bastila, now we will leave and come for these Jedi fools another day." Revan turned and marched back into the Jedi Enclave, leaving his apprentice battling Zhar and Vandar as more Jedi Knights and Republic soldiers came rushing out to assist the Jedi Masters.

Bastila glanced back at Revan's apprentice as she trailed after Revan, puzzlement must have been a clear emotion in her mind because Revan touched her through their bond, _A Master can only have one apprentice Bastila, if he gains a new one the old can not continue to remain for she will always resent losing her place at the side of the Master. It is an acceptable loss to have regained you at my side._

Bastila shuddered at how coldly Revan spoke of tossing aside his old apprentice, as if tossing away an old garment that he had replaced. If Revan's overpowering presence hadn't opened their bond to the point where she couldn't hide anything from him at that moment Bastila might have thought about what that meant about her, but instead she responded meekly through their bond, _Does this mean that I will become your apprentice again, Master?_

A quiet affirmative echoed through the bond before words reached her ears, _You will need to prove yourself loyal to me, but if you can yes, you will be my apprentice once again._

Bastila gulped, she hadn't thought that her meeting with Revan would be like this, by the way Revan had been reacting through their bond before she had thought he was still very close to turning back to the Light Side and that her willing return to his side would begin the process that would lead to him retuning from the Dark Side, but if he was still like this than it might be harder for her to help him return than she had thought.

It was only after her thoughts come to that conclusion did Bastila realize that for some reason Revan was no longer pressing into her mind through their bond, but instead was shielding their bond so strongly; that if his previous actions hadn't convinced her otherwise, Bastila would have thought that Revan was hiding his thought from _her_.

**WILDERNESS OUTSIDE JEDI ENCLAVE, GARQI**

Revan led Bastila out of the Jedi Enclave without incident, with most of the occupants of the Jedi Enclave having fled to escape, even the Republic defenses outside the Enclave were deserted, leaving only a few items of rubbish that had been left behind.

On the other side of the Enclave both Republic Transports rose from the ground with a roar and began heading for the orbiting Republic ships, undoubtedly full of Jedi eager to flee from the dreaded Dark Lord of the Sith.

If only they knew what was going through Revan's mind at that moment.

Revan had been shocked by Bastila, in the manner that she had returned to him, he had been prepared to carve his way through Vandar and Zhar and possibly even need to fight Bastila to capture her again, yet instead she had forced the two Jedi Masters to let _her_ join him.

The whole event had totally changed how he had intended to deal with Bastila after he captured her. If he had captured her unwillingly he would have broke her and turned her to the Dark Side again, but now he couldn't to that to her if she had willingly joined him, that would destroy any hope of her staying loyal to him. That was why he had shielded their bond when he started feeling Bastila's similar feelings of uncertainty, without him knowing what to do next he couldn't be sure that what he was feeling from Bastila wasn't only her feelings, but instead his.

Revan glanced over his shoulder at Bastila as she followed him with her head hanging down, only watching him enough to know where to go. He knew his treatment of Shalla had shocked her and that she was having doubts about if she had made the right decision, but Revan needed to make it clear to her that he was still the Master and she the apprentice, even if they were become involved with each other.

Author's Note: Well, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I know it's a little short, but I was running a bit of a brain freeze with this one. However, this should be able to make the rest of the story start running smoother and coming sooner, I hope. Thanks again to everyone who has read, reviewed and given me helpful comments, its you guys who keep me in line and I thank you for that. Until next Chapter, enjoy!


	16. Awakening

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.

Chapter 16: Awakening

"It isn't enough," Carth Onasi said with a defeated sigh, as the Leader of the Rakatan stood around the map of the surrounding islands where the war between the Rakatan and the Sith Droid Army was being fought, with his council of trusted advisors, Mission Vao, Zaalbar, The Storyteller, and Warlord Tulz'aha looking on.

It was Tulz'aha who responded first pounding his only hand on the edge of the table, making the wooden figures on the map jump, "You can not give into despair Leader Onasi, if you give in then all of Rakatan will fall with you and the Sith will have defeated us with their abominations!"

Mission nodded in agreement, "Tulz'aha's right Carth, you're ignoring all the progress we've made, a week ago the Sith were about to run us off this island, now we've held them to standstill, plus whenever we receive word from the islands where we snuck harassment parties on the news is always speaking of the chaos and damage that they are causing. You can't be so negative."

Carth's shoulders slumped, almost as if he was giving into gravity's pull and starting to sink to the ground, "But we need to do more than hold them, we need to push them back; don't you see that Sith have an infinite supply of their droids, we don't have unlimited Warriors, even if it takes ten years to do it the Sith will wear us down, if they don't just raze the planet instead."

Mission's blue face became a look of disgust, "Oh cut the crap Carth you're acting too much like an old man even for me, sure the Sith may have the upper hand on us now, but that's what fighting a guerrilla war will be like, the other guys will seem to be meters within victory every day, yet they can't seem to stamp out the last bit of resistance."

The aged Storyteller's gray head nodded slowly, "The young one speaks the truth Leader the course you have chosen for the Rakatan is indeed one that requires patience to reach the successful end, we must remain vigilant and keep watch for more opportunities to inflict harm to our enemies."

Carth looked up from the map and glanced at the group he considered his closest friends, he opened his mouth to reply, but the doors that led to the rest of the Rakatan Settlement he was using as his base flew opened and two Rakatan Warriors rushed in.

The first bowed quickly, "Forgive me for interrupting Leader, but there is something outside that you need to see."

Carth glanced to the rest of the group, "Well, lets see what this is all about." The others nodded and followed Carth as the two Warriors led them to the small harbor connected to the Settlement.

When the wooden doors to the harbor opened, Carth had to stop walking for a second and rub his eyes to be sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

When he lowered his hands he saw that he wasn't in a dream, but there really were three of the Rakatan known as the Elders, clad in the same red clothing as the ones that Revan had exterminated on the Temple Island. However, these Elders seemed more militaristic than those that Revan had wiped out, yet they had the presence that spoke of skill and discipline that the forces Carth controlled had lacked for so long and were slowly beginning to gain, but the thing that was even more impressive were the endless rows of warships sitting off the island's coast; they reminded Carth of the ancient warships he'd seen in museums with large caliber guns and heavy armor plating. Plus if the stance that the four Rakata took hadn't been enough to show Carth that they were separate from the other Rakata watching them Carth only had to look at their appearance, these Elders wore intricately carved and painted armor made of some ceramic type material and wore equally intricate melee weapons with primitive projectile weapons hanging on their backs.

As Carth entered the harbor one Elder that stood apart from his fellows moved to meet Carth, yet he stopped halfway between his groups and Carth's clearly expecting Carth to do the same.

Before he walked up Carth gave the Elder a quick glance, the Rakata's ceramic armor was pitted and scarred from combat with equal amounts of scarring on the creature's skin. However, despite the scarring the armor was well polished and on the Rakata's shoulders was golden rope that was braided around what looked like bone.

A silence hung over the harbor as both groups watched each other, a silence that remained unbroken as Carth left his group to meet the Elder waiting patiently for him.

The Elder crossed his arms across his chest and gave Carth a short bow, "Greeting Leader, I am General Hul'z, the commander of my people's Grand Army. We have heard of your struggle against those you call the Sith and have come to aide our brothers in the fight."

Carth stood still for a moment then nodded slowly, "I would like to the first to welcome you General, if you would we can move to my Planning Room to discus this further."

Hul'z nodded, "Yes, I'm sure that will allowed us to answer many questions we both have."

Carth gave the Elder an affirmative nod then led him and his two bodyguards into the Rakatan Settlement while Mission, Zaalbar, Tulz'aha, and the Storyteller followed behind.

Once they entered the Planning Room Zaalbar and Tulz'aha each stood by the door, eyeing the newcomers with equal suspicion while Mission and the Storyteller joined Carth at the map covered table in the center of the room.

Hul'z looked over the maps laid out on the table while Carth watched the Elder. Finally Hul'z looked up and smiled, "I know you have many questions, but before you say anything I would first like to congratulate you on an excellent job at holding these Sith at bay, they clearly have the advantage of numbers and equipment, but your tactics and choice of positions have done more for your cause than I have even seen in all m years as General of my people's Grand Army."

Carth arched an eyebrow, "Well for starts why don't you explain who your people are and where you came from."

Hul'z nodded, "Of course, if you couldn't guess my people are also Rakatan, however, we come from the other side of the planet where we have been living since are history can record. From what we can tell our side of the planet became habitable a century before this side and so we have been able to make several steps toward returning to space to right the wrongs that our ancestors caused." Hul'z held up a hand to stop Carth from speaking up, "The way we know of this is because the Elders who survived on our side of the planet, unlike the ones here, were able to unite the fragmented tribes and families and we became one people; much like the Rakatan are now starting to become here thanks to your efforts. We also had a Temple similar to the one near here, however it was a storehouse of the old technologies that our ancestors no longer used, so it was not protected like the other Temple. I believe you humans have a word for our Temple, a museum, if I am correct?"

Carth nodded, "Okay, I'll believe that, but how did you cross the kilometers of ocean to find; or more specifically, how did you find us?"

Hul'z gestured to the symbol for the Temple on one of the maps, well our museum Temple back home referred to this Temple when we tried to access newer technology, it appears that the two were once linked, but the disaster brought on by our ancestors caused that link to fall into disarray, it was our hope to reestablish that link and unite the Rakatan people across the entire planet." The battle hardened Elder chuckled as he gestured to the maps, "Despite the fact that the Sith have taken up residence in the Temple I still feel that it is our duty to drive them from here and fulfill my mission of uniting the Rakatan people."

Carth nodded, "I would welcome any help you could offer General Hul'z, but I think it only fair to tell you, the Sith may very well discover the existence of your people if you aide us, it could cause them to take the fight to your homeland while you are away."

General Hul'z chuckled, "Thank you for your concern Leader, but you need not worry yourself about my homeland, while I may be commanding my people's Grand Army, we are not the only force my people have in service, defending the city is the only army that can surpass my own in skill and honor, the Royal Army has defended our homeland from the invasion of rogue Warlords for centuries." A slightly eager grin crossed Hul'z scarred face, "Besides, I think the Sith will be quite busy with our attacks, you see from what our histories in the museum Temple have told us our ancestors burnt the use of the Force from themselves, but we found a way to touch the Force once again, I am interested to see what the Sith make of our _Sharakan_."

Carth's face became a frown, "Your what General?"

Hul'z paused, "I apologize I forgot you have not heard our name we use for our Force users, if I am remembering correctly you people would call them Jedi correct?"

Carth froze as he let Hul'z words register, then a smile with an equal eagerness to Hul'z crossed his face, "I agree General, it will be interesting to see what the Sith make of your _Sharakan_. Let's see how we can best introduce the Sith to your and your forces."

Together with his new ally Carth studied the maps laid out before as he saw a possible future lay out before him, one where Carth would defeat the Sith here and would lead the Rakatan _Sharakan_ to join the Republic and defeat Revan's plans once and for all.

**THE _VENGEANCE_, GARQI SYSTEM**

Revan sighed in relief as he set the _Ebon Hawk_ down in her hangar on the _Vengeance_, the escape from Garqi had been a hair raising one fro the start.

Once they had reached the clearing where the _Hawk_ had landed Revan found that the Jedi had discovered part of the Elite Trooper force before they could finish planting their mines, the resulting firefight had wiped out half the Elites, though the Republic lost three times that number and even more when the mines that had been set up started going off.

As they prepped the freighter for launch HK-47 had returned from the Jedi Enclave to report only partial success in its objectives. Many of the Jedi apprentices in the Enclave had already moved to the Republic transports waiting overhead, so all HK had found were a pair Republic technicians who were packing the last of the apprentices' belongings from the Barracks. According to HK47 they had both been very helpful in letting the assassin droid into the main generator room, where HK had quickly planted the explosives before silencing the technicians and returning to the _Ebon Hawk_.

Once everything was ready to lift off Revan detonated HK's explosives, using the resulting confusion to let them escape the Republic's notice.

Once they were in Garqi's orbit Revan had hid the _Hawk_ as he had upon their arrival, however the Republic must have detected their accent because they scrambled two squadrons of fighters to their position, where they had been forced to reveal themselves or crash into a pair of those fighters.

In the resulting firefight Revan was able to but another of the new techniques that he had found, this one was called Force Confusion, where he used his control of another's mind to make them turn on their allies. Using this power Revan was able to _convince_ four Republic fighters to escort him instead attack him allowing them to escape unharmed.

After the small battle to escape the _Ebon Hawk_ was able to sneak into the asteroid field where the _Vengeance_ was hiding from the Republic. They had just landed while Lt. Commander Zintel, the officer Revan and left I command of his flagship, brought the mighty warship to full combat readiness.

Revan glanced over to the vacant copilot seat that Bastila had occupied during their travels, now she was in the Medical Room under the watchful photoreceptors of HK-47 until Revan could find a place to keep his new apprentice.

With a sigh the Dark Lord of the Sith lifted himself from the _Hawk_'s piloting chair and walked back into the rest of the freighter.

The surviving Elites were already disembarking the ship, returning to their quarters on the Sith Battlecruiser, while HK-47 remained motionless outside the Medical Room's sealed doors. Revan walked up and nodded to the black assassin droid, "You are dismissed HK, wait by the boarding ramp and make sure that no one bothers us."

HK-47's head nodded, "Request: If you are going to torture this Jedi female please allow me to help, I have not been able to use my torture programs on a Jedi in a very long time."

The Dark Lord's face became a dark scowl, "You are dismissed HK-47."

HK-47's eyes dimmed slightly, "Obedience: As you command, Master."

As the sound of HK-47's footsteps echoed into silence Revan sighed and retracted his faceplate before opening the Medical Room's door.

With a faint hiss the door opened revealing Bastila sitting on the deck meditating calmly. Revan stepped into the confines of the Medical Room and with a brush of the Force closed the door behind him and relocked it while Bastila's eyes slowly opened as she came out of her trance.

Revan kept his face impassive as the brown haired Jedi rose to her feet with an easy grace that spoke of the hidden strength under her slim frame, "We have many things to discuss my old apprentice."

Bastila quickly lowered her head and bowed her head slightly, "Yes Master."

Revan studied the woman for a moment, "Do you regret returning to my side Bastila?"

Bastila's head rose quickly and she locked her brown eyes with Revan's cool gray ones, "Of course not, I could not be happier to be at your side once again Master." Bastila gulped slightly, "In time I hope that I will be able to show you that despite what happened during my Jedi captivity that I am still loyal to you."

Revan's voice became a low whisper, "Do not lie to me Bastila, I can feel your deception through our bond, you thought to turn me back from the Dark Side by joining me and my actions since then have shocked you, correct?"

Bastila's eyes became wide, white orbs that seemed ready to rattle around in her head, "Ye..yes, the way that you have been acting is not the way I remember you nor the way you seemed through our contact through our bond after my capture, you have taken me by surprise."

Revan stepped forward and gently grabbed Bastila's chin with his gloved hand, "In times of war drastic measures are need to ensure victory, you should know this from our travels together."

Bastila shuddered and pulled back from Revan's hand, "Yet even in our travels you did not cause such heartless destruction, you never would have thrown away the life of your old apprentice in such a way, nor would you have sent HK-47 to murder helpless children."

Revan's expression sharpened suddenly, "Those _children_ would have become Jedi who would have been poisoned with false Jedi teachings, whether you admit it or not the Jedi teachings are flawed, they leave too much about the Force to be described by a few simple words, you cannot encompass the truth of what the Force is with a single Code, no matter how well it has served in the past; the galaxy is changing and the Jedi are not adapting with it, they need to be remade or they will be wiped out completely."

Bastila swallowed as the Dark Lord continued, "As for Shalla, what I did followed both Jedi and Sith teachings, a Master, be he Jedi or Sith, cannot have two apprentices; I merely was returning things as they were before your capture, once I knew you could join me again Shalla ceased to be my apprentice. She did not understand this and would have been caused more harm than killing her caused; by using her to rescue you from the Jedi she finally accepted her place in the galaxy."

The brown haired woman paled slightly and took another step back from Revan's black form, "You truly are no longer the man I once knew to speak so coldly about the death of one of your followers who served you so faithfully. The Revan I knew was efficient, yes, but he would make use of every resource he had, not squander it simply because it became less important to him," Bastila shivered and stood straighter, "You are becoming just like Malak."

Revan froze and without a thought his had was out, grabbing Bastila by the throat and lifting her off the deck and slamming her against the Medical Room wall, "You will never compare me to that fool or you will die, slowly and terribly, no matter how valuable your skills are."

Bastila coughed, but did nothing to loosen Revan's grip on her throat, "This is…what I mean…the Revan I knew would not lash out because someone told him the truth…That is how Malak acted."

Bastila squirmed slightly as Revan tightened his hand around her throat, then time seemed to freeze as her words finally register within his head. He looked over to Bastila's face, wracked with pain from his hand, then his reflection in one of the dormant Medical Room computer screens. What Revan saw was his face, corrupted by his use of the Dark Side, but as her looked harder at the face it began to blur until it became another face completely; his face with Malak's prosthetic jaw.

In an instant Revan dropped Bastila and stepped back, his eyes moving wildly from the screen, his hand and Bastila. The screen returned to its black glossy surface, the image on it gone except in Revan's mind as he looked down at the hand that had nearly crushed Bastila's throat.

Bastila collapsed to the ground and Revan felt her draw on the Force to heal herself, but what she was doing was almost ignored by Revan as his mind raced uncontrollably.

When the startled man finally spoke it was a surprisingly shaken and lacked the confidence that nearly become part of his voice, "You're right, I am becoming the very thing that I destroyed on the Star Forge. I am worse than Malak ever was."

Bastila stepped up and set a slender hand on his forearm, "No you are not, Malak would never have considered what I said, her would have killed me and forced my words from his mind; instead you considered what I said and let that pierce through your anger at my words. You just proved that you are a far better man than Malak could ever be in that subconscious act."

Revan looked up from his hand, his ears ringing with Bastila's words, "Thank you Bastila, you have saved me from a fate that I would have dreaded, yet never could have escaped without your help-." Revan cut off suddenly as a warning reached him through the Force, just as someone knocked on the Medical Room's door followed by HK-47's mechanical voice, "Regretful Statement: Forgive me Master, but it appears that the Republic has found our position, Lt. Commander Zintel reports that they have sent all their fighters, fourteen squadrons, into the asteroid field to attack us with their capital ships establishing a blockade around all possible escape routes."

Within the time it took the Medical Room's door to open to reveal the black assassin droid standing in the doorway Revan pushed his momentary self-doubt aside and left his confidence in his skills reaffirm itself as he followed HK-47 out of the Medical Room and into the _Ebon Hawk_'s Common Area.

When they reached the boarding ramp HK-47 glanced back at Bastila who had followed them from the Medical Room, "Respectful Query: Excuse me Master, but do you think it wise to allow the Jedi to walk free so soon, while I do not doubt your abilities to break her even I could not accomplish such a task in such a short task."

Revan looked at Bastila and touched her mind through their bond, _What will you do if we fight the Republic? Should I trust you?_

Bastila was slightly slow to respond, but when she did she felt confident in her answer, _I will follow your commands, however, I cannot willingly help you slaughter innocents._

Revan nodded slowly, _All I ask is that you help us escape this Republic trap, then we will discuss what to do afterwards._

Bastila bowed her head, "As you command Master."

Revan turned to face HK, "Let us continue HK-47."

HK hesitated for a moment then turned and marched down the boarding ramp with Revan and Bastila following behind. The trio entered the turbolift that lead directly to the bridge and ascend quickly to the command center for the most powerful ship in the Sith Fleet.

When the turbolift doors opened the sound of utter chaos rolled over them like a wave as officers shouted to be heard over each other, while a bewildered Lt. Commander Zintel stood by Revan's command chair.

Zintel must have heard the turbolift open because he turned and paled when he saw Darth Revan's black form marching toward him. With an unsteady voice he called out, "Attention!"

Silence fell over the bridge as all eyes looked to Zintel then followed them to where the Lt. Commander was staring.

Revan walked over to Lt. Commander Zintel and gave him a disapproving glance, "What is the meaning of this chaos on my bridge Lt. Commander?"

Zintel gulped, "The Republic have begun mining the outer reaches of the asteroid field while their fighters appear to be trying to herd us against their mine field where the rest of the capital ships can pound us while using the asteroids as cover from most of our heavy guns," the young officer winced, "we have been unable to figure out what to do besides preparing to scramble our fighters and..."

"Enough." Revan spoke in a regular, almost quiet voice, yet the silence that clammed down on the bridge made it seem as if he had yelled, "What is our current status and position Lt. Commander?"

Zintel seemed to gather some comfort that Revan was more forgiving than usual as he continued, "We have maneuvered to give the approaching Republic fighters a full port broadside when they enter weapons range and have raised shields. All weapons are armed and ready to fire, and then we have our fighters on stand-by. We have also been analyzing the deployment of their fleet and mine field in the hopes of finding a opening, but so far we have been unsuccessful in discovering anything."

Revan nodded slowly as he sat down in his command chair, "First Lt. Commander cancel stand-by on our fighters, we will not need them in this fight." Revan glanced at the tactical map on his command chair with the practiced eye of a skilled commander, "Next drop the port shields and use our tractor beams to pull these asteroids," Revan pointed to a dozen chunks of rock that were the size on the medium freighter to as large as a Republic Dreadnaught, "and position them between us and the Republic fighters; once the asteroids are in place raise the shields again and have the appropriate number of turbolasers needed to destroy the asteroids target each one and await my signal to fire."

From the brief look of confusion on Zintel's face the young officer clearly thought that Revan was going insane, but he still obediently carried out the Sith Lord's commands and twenty minutes later Revan's strategy was ready to be implemented.

With everything else in order Revan looked to how to escape the Garqi system from the net of mines and warships that the Republic had placed around him and his ship. The Republic had done a very good job at arraying their fleet so that no one ship was too isolated from enough support to crush the _Vengeance_ if she tried to attack them, yet they had the Sith Battlecruiser completely surrounded from all sides; or so they thought.

Revan studied their positions carefully and then transmitted a series of coordinates to the helmsman, once the helmsman acknowledged the coordinates and the instructions regarding them Revan leaned back in his command chair as Lt. Commander Zintel spoke up, "Excuse Lord Revan the Republic fighters or fifteen minutes from the asteroid barrier we have erected."

Revan smiled eagerly, "Excellent, tell all weapon crews targeting the asteroids to stand-by."

Beside him Bastila touched him through their bond, _Do you need my help Master Revan? I could confuse the fighter through something similar to Battle Meditation and make them break off their attack._

Revan glanced back at her, _That will not be necessary my apprentice, I would like the Republic to get a taste of what fighting a true Dark Lord of the Sith is like, up until this point I have always had numbers on my side to tip the scales in my favor; today they will see that no matter the numbers the Sith will always triumph._

Revan glanced back to the tactical map and pressed the comlink in his command chair, "Asteroid weapons stations fire on my mark, in 3…2…1…Mark!"

In perfect timing the deadly arsenal of the Battlecruiser erupted toward the approaching Republic fighters, who were using the asteroids the Sith had moved so generously to give them more cover from the Battlecruiser's firepower.

When the first volley hit the asteroids they turned the rock a brilliant white as they were superheated, on the opposite side of the asteroids the surface that the Republic fighters were skimming began to glow faintly and small patches caved in. When the next volley hit the asteroids the results were much more spectacular.

The already superheated rock became so hot that it began to destabilize throwing molten rock off its surface like a volcano, then the asteroids exploded as if they were giant mines sending the white hot rock into the Republic fighter formation like a deadly hail.

As the asteroids explosions finally subsided there was a significant reduction in the number of Republic fighters, with many drifting out of control when the third volley, this one from every gun the _Vengeance_ had at her disposal, tore into the shattered, demoralized fighter formation; what few fighters that had survived both the asteroid explosions and the last volley no longer had the will to charge the Sith flagship, being more concerned with saving what allies they could a fleeing for their lives.

On the Battlecruiser's bridge Revan sat back and smiled as the helmsman executed the first of the instructions that Revan had given him. While this may have only been the opening move in this little game of hide-and-seek with his Republic foes, he was fairly certain that they had gotten a bit more than they had bargained for when they thought to capture the Dark Lord of the Sith.

However, the thought still occurred to him that if Bastila hadn't made him see how he was becoming more like Malak, he might not have even considered the course he was taking, but rather choosing to burn a path through the Republic Fleet and dooming himself in the process.

For a moment he glanced back at Bastila as the brown haired woman waited beside his command chair.

Yes it was good that he and Bastila were back together again.

Author's Note: Thanks again for everyone's patience while my sloth-like typing skills slowly grinds this Chapter out. I hope everyone likes it; I'll try to get Chapter 17 done ASAP, so stay tuned, enjoy, and please review.


	17. Knowing Yourself

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.

Chapter 17: Knowing Yourself

In the heart of the asteroid field surrounding the primary sun of the Garqi system a lone Sith warship, surrounded by a Republic Fleet, was moving through the field of floating rock. For the past two hours the flagship of the Sith Fleet had moved through a series of complex maneuvers amongst the asteroid field, while a fleet of Republic warships waited around her in an ever tightening trap

On the bridge of this isolated warship the mastermind behind her seemingly random maneuvers sat in his command chair as he watched the Republic warships respond to his ship's movements. As the Sith Battlecruiser weaved its way through the asteroids they were steadily approaching the left edge of the mine field that the Republic had placed to try and box Revan and his ship into their trap that would have crushed any other ship captain.

However, the Dark Lord of the Sith was no mere ship captain, he had commanded the forces that had crushed the Mandalorians in the Mandalorian Wars and the had executed a mass offensive against the entire boarder of the Republic's Core Worlds, and his skill in tactics and strategy had allowed him to see where an opening in the Republic's trap could be forced open if they applied the right pressure.

As the Battlecruiser reached the last of the coordinates that Revan had chosen the Republic warships began a series of maneuvers that kept their fleet positioned so that they could support any ship if the _Vengeance_ tried to attack the Republic blockade.

However, in doing so they left the trailing left edge of their mine field open for the Sith warship to escape. Bastila saw Revan smile as the Republic warships came to a stop, once again tightening the noose around him and his ship, "Helm: Execute the final course change and then bring us to flank speed at once. All weapons are to target any asteroids in our path, then move to any Republic ships that move to engage us; above all we must not slow our speed."

The bridge became alive with activity as the mighty warship went from a gentle cruising speed to a charge that was faster than most ships half her size could match. The Battlecruiser's weaponry flared to life, burning asteroids blocking the ship's path from the galaxy within seconds of them being targeted.

Outside the asteroid field the Republic fleet began rushing to the obvious point where the Sith warship was aiming to make its escape, but things were no longer as simple as they had thought. Several of their warships were blocked by their own mine field, forcing them to move around it or be destroyed by the active mines; others were on the far side of the asteroid field and even at top speed would be unable to reach the Battlecruiser before it was ready to enter hyperspace. Finally asteroids were suddenly being thrown beyond the area of the asteroid field, both from the explosions caused by _Vengeance_'s weapons and some invisible force that seemed to be shoving the asteroids into the paths of Republic warships that were trying to block the Battlecruiser's path.

Bastila noticed the seemingly spontaneous movement of the asteroids that were blocking the paths of the Republic warships as they moved to intercept them, she knew that it had to be because of the Force and that it had to be Revan; after all Revan was one of the few people who could manage such a feat with such ease. But when Bastila looked at Revan he was simply sitting in his command chair with his eyes closed, a look of calm covering his face.

Even more amazing still was when Bastila reached out to detect how Revan was accomplishing this feat of raw strength she was stunned because she couldn't detect Revan's Force presence at all, as if he was completely withdrawn from the Force, yet he was still obviously using it.

Bastila carefully reached out and touched Revan through their bond, _What are you doing Revan? How can you hide yourself and still touch the Force?_

Without opening his eyes or slowly his shifting of the asteroids beyond the Battlecruiser Revan responded, _It is one of the many secrets that were lost during the Great Hyperspace War and the Exar Kun War in ages long past; when you have proven yourself worthy of such secrets, then you may come to learn them from me._

Bastila felt Revan close himself to their bond, focusing himself completely on the task of escaping the Republic's trap, leaving Bastila to ponder what other secrets the Revan could possess.

**THE _VENGEANCE_, GARQI SYSTEM**

Revan forced himself not to smile as he felt Bastila's confusion as he closed himself to their bond, she clearly was curious to how Revan was using the Force, while remaining invisible to it at the same time; but that was one secret that Revan had found was extremely useful, especially when he was facing other Force users, whether they be Jedi or Sith.

After pausing for a moment to gather his mind again Revan reached out to touch the asteroids surrounding his ship. He detected and quickly ignored the asteroids that were targeted by his ship's weaponry and moved his awareness to the other asteroids that were either just out of his flagship's way, or had not bee targeted yet to be destroyed.

Revan found a trio of asteroids to the left of his ship and grabbed them in an invisible Force grasp, slowing their momentum and bringing them to a stop before he pushed them along their new path, one that would bring them to block the path of a Republic Dreadnaught that was moving to join the four Republic warships who had successfully managed to position themselves to block the path of his ship path, but despite their superior numbers without more support from the rest of their fleet the _Vengeance_ would burn through them without a moments pause.

As the asteroids started to spin along their new course Revan opened his eyes and took a breath as he looked over his command chair's tactical map to check the positions of all the various Republic warships and his own ship as they all neared the point where he was going to escape this Republic trap.

Revan calculated the time until they would enter weapons range of the Republic warships waiting on for them outside the asteroid field: twenty minutes.

The Dark Lord leaned back and relaxed, in twenty minutes he would see if how well his strategy had worked.

**RAKATAN SETTLEMENT, RAKATA**

The calming roar of the sea filled the harbor of the Rakatan Settlement that Carth was using as his Headquarters, reminding him of the oceans of Telos before the Sith had turned those oceans into steaming pools of waste from their bombardment.

Now Carth was fighting to keep the Sith from doing that same thing to this planet, and it was the arrival of new forces to help him that had Carth watching the transports of the Grand Army as they deployed the soldiers, equipment, and supplies that General Hul'z had brought from his homeland to help their long lost cousins on the other side of their planet.

Despite the fact that the armada of ships and the equipment that the Grand Army was using seemed horribly ancient compared to the technology Carth was used to he still had to admit the show of force was impressive to see.

However, even the most impressive armies were useless unless they could perform on the battlefield.

Beside Carth General Hul'z chuckled faintly, "It has been some time since the entire Grand Army was deployed as a whole. Now the Sith will see their folly to attacking the Rakatan."

Carth nodded, "Your forces are indeed impressive General. Tell me, when was the last time the Grand Army was engaged in combat?"

Hul'z's left eye stalk turned to look at Carth while his right continued to watch the arriving transports, "Their has been peace in our realm for the last fifteen years Leader Onasi, but even peace is not without rebellion and the occasional boarder expansion has kept the military of our people well-trained, we also run drills between units in a type of competition where by each unit can gain prestige and honor over each other. You don not have to worry, my men will fight well against these Sith."

Carth nodded absently as he eyes followed one transport that had pulled away from the main group of transports that were beginning to dock in the harbor, this transport was unique from the others, and it was colored with a blood red paint and a golden trim that made it obvious that the cargo on this ship was special.

General Hul'z must have noticed Carth attention to the transport because he pointed to it as he spoke, "That is the transport of the _Sharakan_ that accompanied us in our journey here. Unfortunately only six of them will be joining us in our battles against the Sith, which is half of the _Sharakan_ that joined us; the remaining six will be safe guarding our armada from any Sith attacks." Hul'z smiled, "If you would like Leader Onasi, I can introduce you to the leader of the _Sharakan_ that will be helping us destroy the Sith on our planet."

Carth bowed his head, "I would be honored General."

Hul'z nodded and took the lead as he made his way through the slowly increasing groups of soldiers and crates of equipment that were forming throughout the harbor, finally they reached the dock where the red and gold transport had docked. Hul'z climbed the ramp leading to the main deck of the transport.

On the deck waited six Rakatan males, wearing armor that was similar to the same armor that other soldiers wore, only it was more complex and looked like it was made with more care than what the common soldier or even General Hul'z himself wore. Their armor reminded Carth of a snake with hundreds of scales overlapping, covering their entire body; even their heads where covered, though their eye stalks were only partly covered to allowed their eyes full motion. Across their backs each _Sharakan_ wore a sword with its large hilt sticking over their shoulders, a pair of shorter blades on both of their sides, and what Carth had come to recognize as a standard issue rifle, fixed with a scope that fit the Rakata's unique eyes.

Hul'z returned the salute that all six _Sharakan_ gave him then spoke to one in particular who was wearing shoulder emblems similar to the ones that Hul'z wore, only the bone was shorter and the gold rope was striped with red as well, "Leader Onasi I would like to introduce you to _Sharakan_ Maxim Terra'ka, the leader of the _Sharakan_ that have traveled with us from our homeland," Hul'z paused to gestured to Carth, "and this is Leader Carth Onasi, the leader of the Rakatan on this side of the planet that we have come to aide."

Terra'ka stepped forward and bowed deeply at his waist to Carth, "It is an honor to meet you Leader Onasi, the way you have managed to hold back an enemy with superior resources and technology is very impressive, the _Sharakan_ will be honored to fight by your side with our cousins."

Carth smiled and returned the bow, "Thank you Maxim Terra'ka, I am glad for any help you and your people can offer." Carth glanced to General Hul'z, "In fact with General Hul'z permission I would like you to join us in our planning for our attack on the Sith positions."

Beside Carth General Hul'z nodded his agreement before Terra'ka responded, "I would be honored to assist in planning the assault on the Sith."

Carth smiled and gave the remaining _Sharakan_ a nod before disembarking from the transports and returning to the observation position where he and General Hul'z had been watching from before.

That smile remained on his face as the seemingly endless tide of transports continued to deploy more and more soldiers with which to fight the Sith with, _Soon, very soon it will all be in place and the Sith's reign over this system will be at an end._

**THE _VENGEANCE_, EDGE OF THE GARQI SYSTEM**

Revan, the Dark Lord of the Sith, leaned back in his command chair on the bridge of his flagship as they entered into the relative safety of hyperspace, behind him they had left the wreckage of four Republic warships and an entire taskforce of other warships, unable to stop him from escaping their trap.

Now they were on their way to rendezvous with the rest of his fleet that he had left under the command of General Jassen Oree. Revan sighed and glanced over his shoulder to where Bastila had been standing throughout most of the battle, she had finally sat down and had been waiting to use her Battle Meditation at a moments notice to aid them in their escape until Revan had told her to go to her quarters, Shalla's old quarters, for the remainder of the battle. Bastila had been reluctant to leave, but she finally went after Revan had ordered HK-47 to escort her from the bridge.

Carefully Revan opened himself up to their bond and reached out to Bastila, only to be greeted by a cold wall from her from her efforts to close herself to their bond; he knew that she was there, but he barely had any sense of her through their bond. With an exasperated sigh Revan stopped trying to reach her and rose from his command chair.

Revan looked over to Lt. Commander Zintel who was standing beside Revan's command chair, "You have command of the bridge Lt. Commander; alert me when we are close to arriving at the rendezvous with General Oree and the rest of the fleet."

Lt. Commander Zintel snapped to attention and saluted the Dark Lord, "Understood my Lord Revan."

Revan gave the officer a slight nod as he walked off the bridge and entered into the turbolift to his quarters.

The turbolift doors opened with the hiss of pressurized air as Revan stepped into the Training Room where he had trained Shalla in the ways of the Dark Side. Now he was going to turn Bastila back to the Dark Side in this same room.

HK-47 was standing by Bastila's quarters, its two vibroswords drawn, as the black assassin droid watched the captured woman's door; the fact that HK was facing the door itself showed that the droid understood that the real threat was not from anyone on the ship, but rather Bastila herself.

When Revan approached HK-47 turned and bowed at the waist as it returned it's vibroswords to the sheaths on its side, "Statement: It is good to see you Master, I have kept the Jedi meatbag in her quarters. She seemed quite upset from you dismissing her from the bridge, I would advise you to enter her quarters with you weapons ready."

Revan chuckled, "Thanks for the warning HK, but everything should be fine."

The assassin droid's eyes glowed brighter for a moment as it responded, "Please do not take any chances Master, while I would enjoy spreading the Jedi's entrails over her room I would hate for the reason for that being that she had deactivated you."

Revan smiled coolly, "I doubt that it will come to that HK."

With a slightly doubtful tone in its voice HK-47 stepped aside, "Dubious Statement: Yes Master."

Revan sighed and brushed past the assassin droid to entered into Bastila quarters. The door opened to show her room completely black with all of the lights out, without hesitating Revan stepped into the room and let the door close behind him, once again plunging the room into darkness.

After giving his visual senses to adjust to the darkness Revan drew on the Force to left him see everything in the room through the Force itself. Most of the room instantly became clear to him in a faded gray color, with the few living plants in the room pulsing slightly with the Force.

The Dark Lord swept his glance around the room and found Bastila sitting in deep meditation across the room, with the Force swirling around her doll-like form in beautiful blue shades. Revan approached her slowly, in awe from the intricacies of the Force that surrounded her; he had become used to the impressive displays of raw Force power that he demonstrated and saw used so often that he had forgotten the very subtleties that allowed such displays to be done.

Revan watched as one wave of Force rolled down Bastila's body from her head until it reached the floor and then flowed outwards in every direction until it faded into the gray tones of the room; as that wave disappeared another one emerged from the plants around the room and closed in on her in a sphere until it collapsed onto her body and seemed to disappear into her.

Revan smiled as another wave rolled off her and this time it reached his feet as he continued to draw closer to her, he watched the blue wave roll toward his feet, but as it drew closer the color faded and became a brilliant crimson that absorbed more of the blue until the wave that flowed over Revan was a red so bright that for a moment he couldn't see anything but the red energy of the Force covering him.

Revan felt himself drawing on the wave of Force, pulling and adding to it so that it became stronger and began to grow until he felt it starting to fill the room and spread beyond.

For a moment Revan savored the feeling from the wave as it engulfed him and surrounded him, the sensation of the Force carrying him through the entire ship as it flew through hyperspace. For an instant his perceptions went beyond his body, even beyond what he could normally detected, he was everyone on the ship, their thoughts their dreams were all his as well, yet as Revan reveled in this power and drew on it to see how far he could reach Revan felt something strange. As he reached deeper into the minds of the crew of the _Vengeance_ he felt their dreams crumble, their joys and happiness fade to give way to despair and for one brief moment Revan felt the ship completely engulfed in the Dark Side; more completely than he could have ever done on his own.

Then something cut through to Revan, fear. Not his fear, not the fear of anyone on the ship, but the fear of someone much closer to him, Bastila's fear cut through Revan euphoric mind like a knife; fear of him. With a hurried haste Revan released his hold on the wave of Force and let it disappear.

When Revan opened his eyes he found Bastila cowering against the wall as far away from his as she could get her face illuminated by several small fires that had appeared on the floor and furniture around where he was standing, with her hands covering her face as she cried uncontrollably.

Revan took a step toward her, his hand reaching out to her shaking form, when she screamed out, "No stay away!" The sound of her own voice seemed to wake her to her senses because Bastila shook herself and rose to her feet.

Revan dropped his hand, "What happened Bastila, what's wrong?"

Bastila's tear filled eyes stared angrily at him, "You _happened_! You're presence is so thoroughly corrupted by the Dark Side that simply touch the Force corrupts it, by merely entering the room you turned all the Force in this room to the Dark Side, you made what was once the sweet nectar of every living thing in the universe to pungent, sour poison!" Bastila tore herself from Revan's face and buried her face in her hands, "How can you survive while doing that to something as wonderful as the Force, you are practically killing the very joy and happiness that makes the Force so wonderful?"

Revan stood there speechless as Bastila looked into his eyes again, "If you continue to do this I will not be able to go on knowing that I helped you return to power only to do this…" Bastila blink her eyes to clear them of the tears that were welling up behind them, "If you don't stop I will stop you, or die trying."

Revan stood perfectly still as Bastila collapsed to the floor of her quarters as the fire suppression system kicked in, raining a fine mist down on the entire room.

Revan felt the water running down his face and socking everything he was wearing, but none of it registered since his mind was no longer really concerned with what was happening around him.

_I'm killing the Force? That's not possible; no she said I was turning all the Force to the Dark Side with what I have become. Isn't that what I want, if all of the Force becomes completely Dark Side then any Jedi who opposes me ill become a servant of the Dark Side like me. That's exactly what I wanted, wasn't it; to turn all the Jedi and make the universe mind to command; isn't it?_ His last thought bounced around in his head and knocked things loose that brought memories and thought rushing through his mind, faster than at the speed the ship was traveling.

The first memory to float to his mind was one from his time as a Padawan, so long ago that he couldn't even remember the Jedi Master who had said it to him, _Without the Light there would be no Dark._

In the blink of an eye he saw the look on Juhunai and Jolee's faces as he cut them down after revealing to them he wanted to return to the Dark Side and become the Dark Lord of the Sith again. He saw the look on Shalla's face as he mercilessly crushed her mind and sent her to her doom against Vandar and Zhar. He saw the thousands of people he had killed in his bid to reclaim the title of Dark Lord of the Sith and the millions that had been killed since he had renewed his war against the Republic.

He remembered the feeling of pure power he had felt as the wave of Dark Side Force had swept through him moments ago and the excitement he had felt as he had spread his power over the entire ship, feeling and seeing everything that was going on in their minds and the despair that had been left in his wake. What he remember shook Revan to his very core as he began to realize that for so long he had been lying to himself about who he was, what his goals were and successfully so.

Looking back on the last year of his life he saw how he had conformed to best fit what he though he should be, not what he truly was. When he had first been waken by Trask so long ago on the _Endar Spire_ he had slipped subconsciously into the mindset of the enemy so he could beat them and survive. Then during the time after his training at the Jedi Enclave he had become what he thought as a Jedi, while denying his true feelings about Bastila that had developed during their escape from Taris and his training.

Then when Malak had revealed who he was on the _Leviathan_ had he turned his anger at the Jedi into the reason to hate them for keeping him from Bastila and giving into the Dark Side, his fall was only hasten by Bastila's capture by Malak.

And that fall had finally come to a focus on the roof of the Rakata Temple where a fallen Bastila had appealed to his guilt and anger to turn him back into the Dark Lord of the Sith, but not the same one he had been before his injury and capture by Bastila on the destroyed bridge of his old flagship, one that nearly followed in Malak's footsteps of needless and wasteful destruction across the galaxy.

Revan inhaled sharply as what this all meant fell together, _I need to find who I truly am, but I can't do that when I am being distracted,_ Revan opened his eyes and looked at Bastila and then down at the armor he wore, _by everything._

Revan gently set his hands on Bastila's shoulders as they silently shook from her crying, "Thank you Bastila."

Her crying stopped short as her blood shot and teary eyes looked up into his shadowed brown ones, "What?"

Revan smiled, "If not for you I would have continued to lie to myself and brought the entire galaxy to destruction at the hands of someone pretending to be a Dark Lord of the Sith; because of your trust in me I know what I must do." Without another word Revan turned and left Bastila to stare after him in surprise.

**THE _HANDS OF JUSTICE_, ONROUTE TO CORUSCANT**

From where he stood beside the glass Observation Room of the _Hands of Justice_'s Medical Room Master Vandar stumbled backwards and leaned heavily on the wall behind him. Everyone with him, including Master Zhar, looked at him with concern as others rushed to his side, wear he waved them away as he struggled to his feet.

For a brief moment Vandar closed his eyes before he opened them again and looked and his long time friend Zhar, "Darth Revan is no more."

Only the stunned chatter of the rest in the Observation Room as Vandar and Zhar left, leaving the medical droids to continue their work on their subject.

Author's Note: I hope that everyone liked this chapter; I so do enjoy writing these little cliffhangers. I'm starting on Chapter 18 already, I've started writing and now I can't stop until I finish so it should be done fast. Stay tuned!


	18. Meeting Old Friends

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.

Chapter 18: Meeting Old Friends

Revan stepped into his quarters and immediately began removing the Shadow Armor he wore until he stood in only the simple black robes that he had worn beneath them. Revan stared down at the robes in a slight surprise, because they were no longer black in fact they were now more of a gray, as if they were changing to suit his feelings; however, Revan forced such thought from his mind and removed them as well, tossing them and his lightsaber on top of the Armor.

There in the shadows of his quarters, Revan reached out and for the first time in so long, he touched the Light Side of the Force. As Revan rediscovered the wonder of the Light Side of the Force he smiled and let the Force flow through him, not telling it to do anything, but just letting the Force flow while he followed where the Force was going.

He felt the Force slowly flow through the entire length of the ship he was on, touching every mind and every thing on the ship; as he did this he was surprised to find that the despair and doubt that he had felt before was gone, the Force having begun to heal the damage he had caused earlier. Even more amazing was that in the wake of his presence now he felt each crew members' dreams being reinforced and strengthened from his touch. Revan slowly pulled his perceptions closer in, but still letting the Force flow freely until he noticed that the Force was rushing through the Armor, the robes and his lightsaber that he had removed. Revan felt the Force acting like a filter, cleaning and purifying everything in his room that his presence had corrupted.

Slowly Revan opened his eyes and looked around in the dimly lit room, his eyes fell on the robes and Armor that he had taken off; to his amazement the robes were now the same as the brown overcoat and white tunic Revan had been given when his Jedi training had been completed a second time on Dantooine. The Shadow Armor had some how been cleaned completely, the paint was gone and the black robes he had worn with them had now completely disappeared, leaving only brown polished material of the breastplate and arm armor to remain. Revan reached out to look more closely at the Armor and jumped back in shock as the cold, faceless faceplate of his helmet still stared back at him from the black and blood red Sith Trooper helmet. Revan hurriedly pushed the helmet away and began to look at the rest of his clothing that he had removed.

But even more amazing was what had happened to his lightsaber, the black, double bladed weapon had disappear, leaving only the crystals that had been imbedded within them and a faint black dust from the cylinder that had surrounded them. Revan reached down and picked up the crystals that had made his lightsaber and was stunned to find that the two crystals that Revan had placed in his old lightsaber, the Mantle of the Force and the Heart of the Guardian, were no longer two crystals, the use of the cross-crystal design or possibly the power of the Force flowing through them had fused both crystals together into one single crystal that was now clear as diamond and shined brilliantly in the dim light of his quarters.

Carefully, with the Force still flowing through him Revan lifted the crystal out of his grasp and held before his face, as he watched it seemed to be refined and cleaned from the Force flowing through it, until it glow with the power of the Force. Revan felt his knees give way, dropping him to the floor of the room, he caught the crystal out of the air as he released it. Without moving a muscle Revan remained on the floor meditating while he held the crystal in his hand, the Force roaring through him like a river and Revan began to loose connection to his conscious self. In the final moments before Revan finally drifted away he felt no fear or self-doubt, but rather the humble confidence of someone who knew what need to be done and the knowledge that they could accomplish it.

**RAKATAN SETTLEMENT, RAKATA**

Carth's face was grim as General Hul'z's Grand Army marched out of the Settlement that had been the headquarters of his operation for so long. Now they were marching to take the fight with the Sith to the offensive, using a plan that Carth, Mission, Zaalbar, Tulz'aha, the Storyteller, Hul'z, and Terra'ka had spend long hours perfecting; if all went well it was possible that in one month's time the Sith would no longer have any presence on Rakata and Carth would be ready to drive the Sith from the system completely.

Beside him the group that had helped get this far watched on with him as they prepared to join him while they lead the attacks that would bring the Sith conquests to an abrupt halt in one fell swoop.

With one final sigh Carth adjusted the armor that General Hul'z had insisted on equipping himself and everyone else in his party with, they all wore armor that was of the same design as his own, only the coloring was navy blue and it had no rank markings.

When Carth had asked about the different colors Hul'z had responded, "The armor you are wearing is of the style of foreign soldiers who have become respected enough by my homeland to allow them to fight and command part of our military, it is of the highest quality, only the armor of the _Sharakan_ is finer."

Now those _Sharakan_ were going to join Carth and fight to defeat the Sith, plus help defending Hul'z and Carth as well while they were at the front lines.

With one final nod Carth turned to General Hul'z, "I believe that everything is going well here General, we should move to the front to oversee the opening attacks of the assault."

The veteran Rakata General nodded his scarred head, "I agree Leader Onasi, it will be my honor to fight along side you against these Sith."

With one final nod from each leader their group joined the constant flow of Carth Rakatan Warriors and Hul'z's Rakatan Soldiers that took them to the front lines where they would finally defeat the Sith.

When they reached the front lines the battle had already begun, with the ground assault being proceeded by an air attack by what Hul'z had called "Rocket Air-Fighters" from a pair of large flat topped ships that were part of the armada under the General's command.

Despite the fact that these Fighters seemed ancient compared to modern fighters that Carth was used to they tore through the fortifications the Sith had constructed to weather the Rakatan attack they had known was coming.

Now the gaping holes in the Sith defenses were being overrun by Carth and Hul'z's forces as Rakatan Warrior and Soldier alike charged the Sith Battle Droids, eager to liberate their planet and to prove their prowess to each other.

Carth felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and turned to see the Storyteller smiling at him, "You have done well Leader, you would have made The One proud of his decision to name you the new Leader after him."

Carth responded by clapping the Storyteller on his shoulders, "Thank you."

With a new resolve in his eyes Carth grinned as he spoke to Hul'z, "Well General we need to hurry or else our boys are going to have finished the job before we get and chance to help them do it."

Hul'z smiled broadly, "You're right Leader Onasi, for the glory of Rakata!" With that the scarred Rakata charged forward, with Carth and everyone else in the group following in his wake.

**TEMPLE ISLAND, RAKATA**

The gentle waves of the ocean that covered most of Rakata rolled over the beaches of the Temple Island as Carth exited the boarding craft that had brought him and his group to the island where everything had started so long ago. The attack had started well from the very beginning, now they were in the third day of no stop advancing by the combined forces of Hul'z and Carth's forces and soon with one final push their victory would be complete.

Explosions still filled the sky as Carth and Hul'z ran to the cover an overhang that was being used as a forward Command Post for the rapidly advancing Rakatan forces. As they approached an officer from the Grand Army saluted both Carth and Hul'z, "The attack is going well sirs, however we are being slowed in the canyons leading to the Temple courtyards, the Sith had heavily fortified it and the canyons are keeping our Fighters from clearing a path for us."

Everyone in Carth and Hul'z's group gathered around the small rock where a map of the Temple Island with markers for the advancing Rakatan forces was.

Mission was the first to speak, "We can break through this Carth, let me and Zaalbar lead a sneak attack around the left side of the Sith position. We can use these canyons to our advantage to climb down behind the Sith fortifications and blow a way through for the rest of you."

Carth nodded and glanced around the rest of the table, "Anyone have any other ideas?" Carth nodded to Tulz'aha when the Rakatan Warlord started to speak.

"Not a new idea Leader Onasi, rather a modification to Advisor Vao's plan; I request that I be part of the attack as well, it will help the Advisor to control the Rakata under her command as they may not take well to being commanded by a child."

Mission crossed her arms, but Zaalbar spoke first in a series of growls and roars, when he stopped Mission translated, "My buddy here says that if any Rakata does listen to me he'll _convince_ him to see things my way."

Carth chuckled, "That may work Mission, but I think Tulz'aha's idea will make things easier. So that's that, Mission, Zaalbar, and Warlord Tulz'aha will lead the sneak attack while, myself, General Hul'z, the Storyteller, and the _Sharakan_ lead the attack from the from, agreed?"

Heads nodded all around the table.

Carth smiled, "Then lets get going."

The next few hours were hectic as the sneak attack group gathered the Warriors and Soldiers that would join in; eventually they ended up with a group of thirty total with equal numbers of Warriors and Soldiers.

While the sneak attack group made their way into position Carth and the rest of his group came to the front lines where both sides were trying to make the other move, without actually having to go and push them back.

Carth ducked behind a rock as heavy blaster bolt from one of the pair of turrets that the Sith had set up to provide support for their Battle Droids and halt the Rakatan advance.

Carth pulled his pair of blaster pistols free and started adding his fire to the rest that was filling the air and was reward by seeing a Sith Battle Droid explode from his attack.

Before Carth could fire again he heard a high pitched whistle split the air moments before one of the two Sith turrets exploded into a brilliant fireball.

On the battlements of the Sith fortifications a slender blue figure suddenly became visible and gave Carth a wave before disappearing behind the wall again.

With a grin Carth yelled at the top of his lungs, "Charge! Everyone Charge! Take the Sith positions!" Carth suited action for words and lead his forces as they ran for the gaping hole that the turret's explosion had made in the wall.

Sith Battle Droids started firing into the charging Rakatan forces, but they were unable to keep them from the compromised defenses, with minutes the Battle Droids had found themselves fighting within their own defenses to hold back the Rakatan attack.

Warlord Tulz'aha roared victoriously as his vibrosword plunged into the chest of a Sith abomination and then roared again in anger as no blood spurted free as he removed his weapon. _We must find the living creatures who control these abominations, their blood needs to be spilled to avenge The One's death_.

Tulz'aha rushed to find the next abomination to feel his blade as Leader Onasi and General Hul'z reached the wall with the rest of their forces, Tulz'aha gave a victorious yell as he swung his handless arm down on the head of an abomination that had tried to shoot him. The hammerhead attachment on the end, which Tulz'aha had added before joining the sneak attack, crushed the metallic head of his foe and left it in a crumpled heap as Tulz'aha jumped over it.

As the Warlord looked for his next target a new sound entered the noise of battle, something that sounded like the hiss of a Nalt Viper when he was issuing a challenge. Tulz'aha followed the sound to its source and saw a group of twelve figures who looked like Leader Onasi charging into battle with swords of light in their hands, some with one blade and more with two.

Tulz'aha roared with joy as he finally was able to fight a foe made of flesh after so many metallic abominations that only mocked the life they took. He picked out one foe, a short bald human wearing a silver breastplate of armor and wielding a red sword.

Tulz'aha held his own sword ready to block this man's sword before swashing his skull with the hammer on his other arm, he was about to engage him when the man's own sword lashed out and cut his sword in half.

Tulz'aha cried in surprise and swung his hammer to shatter the man's sword arm, but the human was to fast, his sword spun and struck as a blur, severing Tulz'aha's arm from his body. Tulz'aha felt his knees give way and he stumble to the ground before his foe, he prepared himself for death from the bite of his foe's sword, he prepared to die with honor.

Unfortunately honor is hard to obtain when your very body bursts into flame and you are burnt alive; still, moments before he knew no more Tulz'aha felt satisfaction in that he hadn't screamed while he died.

Carth ducked under a blaster bolt as he pulled his vibroswords free of the destroyed Battle Droid and took a moment to glance over the area around him. It was then that he saw five dark figures charging into the battle.

Carth felt his blood run cold as the five Dark Jedi activated their lightsabers and charged forward, using the power of the Dark Side to send fear through the ranks of the Rakatan forces.

Then Carth saw Tulz'aha, denying any doubt or fear that he had, charging into the center of the Dark Jedi.

Then Carth saw him die.

Carth roared out in anger, his cool calm in battle replaced by a blinding rage as he tried to cut a way through the Battle Droids to get to the Dark Jedi who had just cut down his loyal friend.

It didn't matter to Carth that he would die if he tried the same thing as Tulz'aha, but before he could General Hul'z stopped him, "Leader Onasi do not throw your life away! You are needed still! Let the _Sharakan_ deal with these Dark Jedi!"

Indeed, all six _Sharakan_ were abandoning whatever other fight they were engaged in, trusting their comrades to finish their foes, as they rushed to meet the Dark Jedi before they reached the main battle.

Even in the heat of battle and through his rage Carth was able to be in awe of the way the _Sharakan_ fought. The Rakatan equivalent of the Jedi fought in pairs, using their long swords that sparked with energy that ran the length of the blade with brutal efficiency. They demonstrated their skill with their blades, yet they also did something Carth had never seen, they used the Force. The bodies of Dark Jedi were sent flying through the air, while others were frozen for a handful of seconds while a _Sharakan_ killed them.

The _Sharakan_ were such effective fighters that within minutes of their engaging the Dark Jedi the four survivors were running back to the Temple as fast as they could, leaving their dead behind them as the remaining Sith Battle Droids were wiped out by the Rakatan forces.

Cheers began to go up from around the battlefield, but Carth didn't hear them, instead he made his way to the burnt shape that had been a loyal and good friend.

**THE _VENGEANCE_, CORELLIA SYSTEM**

_Why is everything so dark? Where am I? _Revan slowly let his eyes adjust to the light in his dim quarters and rose from where he had been laying on the floor.

As he rose to his feet he noticed a faint light coming from the ground by his feet, when he glanced down he saw a lightsaber crystal glowing where he sat beside his feet, suddenly his mind cleared and he remembered everything that had happened before he drifted off.

He quickly spun around and saw that his clothes and armor were the same as they had been earlier after the Force had changed them.

Revan grabbed the crystal off the floor and put on the white tunic of his robes, next he strapped on the brown armor, and then he pulled the brown overcoat on over the armor. Revan looked down at the lightsaber crystal in his hand and then remembered something that he'd found in his old footlocker where he had found so many secrets of the Force.

He rushed over and went digging through the datapads and small nick-knacks that he had saved from his life until he found what he was looking for, his old lightsaber.

Not the lightsaber from his time as Dark Lord before, but the lightsaber he had given up, the first lightsaber he had ever built. Revan blew the dust off the silver cylinder and opened the beautifully crafted weapon, then he started to incorporate his new crystal with his old lightsaber the perfect way to merge the old Revan with the new.

As Revan worked his lightsaber he began to think about everything he gone through with this lightsaber and the crystals, or now crystal, in his life and he started to release that the crystal represented something; it represented the light that truth and justice spread through such a dark galaxy.

It was this realization that made Revan decided to name the crystal, like the two crystals that had formed it, the Light of Truth.

Revan nodded and spoke the name out loud, just as the lightsaber snapped to life with a soft _snap-hiss_ casting its silver light over the room. Revan looked at the lightsaber staring at a light that was neither painful nor harsh to his eyes yet drove shadows away from him in every direction.

Revan smiled, _Just as darkness flees from the light, so shall the Dark Side be driven from this galaxy, the darkness I brought to it._ Revan deactivated his lightsaber and let his had fall to his side, _How can I do this? How can I deserve to turn back after all I did?_ Revan snarled and kicked the chair for his workbench, _I killed Jolee and Juhunai for Force's sake! How could I truly say I serve the light after doing that?_

Revan suddenly felt a new presence entered his mind, a gentle comforting presence, _Jolee and Juhunai would agree that the price of their lives would be worth of returning to the light again Revan, they would not have flinched away from having to do that._

Revan smiled as Bastila reached through their bond, which had not faded but only had grown stronger with his return to the light, almost as though it had been made anew. _But, with them dead there is no way to ask them._

Revan could almost feel Bastila hugging him as she responded, _It would be better that you feel guilt for your actions, than for you to have none at all_. For a moment Bastila paused, almost as if unsure if she should continue, _But there are ways to still speak to them, they were at peace with what they knew to be the outcome when they challenged us on that Temple that was what the vision they had received shortly before they came to join you in the attack on the Temple, they had both seen that if they were not there we would not have had to kill them; instead they sacrificed themselves so that by their deaths they could have begun us on the way to redemption, even at our darkest moment. It was Master Vandar who showed how to communicate with them, shortly after he helped me return to the light, if you wish I will show you and maybe it will bring some measure of peace like it did me when I first spoke to them._

Revan mulled over the words, then the last part caught his attention, _"when you first spoke to them"? Do you still communicate to them even now?_

Bastila's positive response came through their bond like a brilliant ray of sunlight, _It becomes more difficult with each attempt, as it becomes more and more taxing for them to reach the world of the living, meaning that each time we need to speak to them we are need to picked up the additional burden; however, eventually it will become to much for even anyone to reach them and when that happens they will become one with the Force completely and any remnant of their personality will be gone._

Revan smiled, _I'm ready now Bastila._

Bastila's response gentle, _Then you and I will visit our old friends together._

Without another moments pause Revan felt Bastila fall into a trance and he quickly followed in suit, lowering himself to a sitting position on the floor and letting the Force flow through him, bringing him closer to the Force itself and to finding his true center.

As he drifted slightly in the embrace of the Force Bastila's voice echoed through his mind, _Before you can call to them we must revisit the moment when they died._

Revan winced slightly as he and Bastila both reached into their same memories of the death of Jolee and Juhunai, _At our hands_, on the Temple in the Rakata system.

Bastila must have detected his guilt for she responded, _It is true that we inflicted the wounds that lead to their death, but before you can truly call to them and speak to our friends again you must come to grips with your feelings about your actions. You are not rationalizing your actions, but rather seeing the role that their deaths took in the will of the Force._

Revan hesitated for a moment before he plunged into the memory of Jolee and Juhunai's deaths:

_He lead Jolee and Juhunai onto the roof of the Rakata Temple, where Bastila stood before her fighter waiting for them. The trio of Jedi ran to their friend and Juhunai spoke as they drew near to her, "Hurry Bastila come with us and we will be able to escape!"_

_Even before Bastila spoke he and Jolee both knew what had happened to Bastila, she wore the robes of a Dark Jedi and pulsed with the Dark Side._

_Jolee was the first one to speak of it, "It is too late Juhunai, Bastila has fallen, she has given into the Dark Side."_

_Juhunai shook her head, "No, not Bastila she would never give in to the Dark Side; she would die first."_

_Bastila laughed, "That just shows how little you really knew me Cathar, I did fight Malak, I gave it my best effort, but in the end I broke; everyone breaks, even you will Juhunai and when you break you can suddenly see, you can see the foolishness of the Jedi and their vaunted Code. Then you realize where the true power in the universe lies, it is with the Sith, not with the fools that try and stop them. If you would only see that you would be unstoppable," Bastila looked straight at Revan, "especially you Revan. You were once the Dark Lord of the Sith, but know even I could destroy you and you have been supplanted by someone more worthy of your title, and eventually I will supplant him as the Dark Lady of the Sith!"_

Revan pulled back from the memory for a moment as he didn't think he would be able to remember the feeling of fighting along side his old friends, even as they fought another of their friends to the death, _I'm sorry Bastila, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for this yet._

Bastila's response was quick, but short, _You can do this Revan, you are stronger than you think._

Revan mentally nodded and plunged back into the memory:

_The Temple roof echoed with the sounds of clashing lightsabers as Revan, Jolee, and Juhunai pushed Bastila back, until Bastila stopped and gave Revan a respectful bow, "I was wrong Revan, you are not weak, you are stronger than Malak could ever be, if you were to become the Dark Lord again, no one would be able to stand against you." Bastila's eyes became alluring as she entered his mind through their bond, _I now what you have always wanted Revan, if we were to join forces we could rule the galaxy as one, together.

_Jolee, the ever observant man, noticed Revan's change in demeanor, "Don't listen to her Revan, the Dark Side only leads to pain and death, choosing that path can only lead to suffering, trust me I know this."_

_Juhunai chimed in, "Do not do this Revan, you helped save me from my own darkness, I could not stand it if you were to turn to your own."_

_However, despite Revan found that while he agreed with what they said, he could not make himself fight Bastila._

_With a mournful look in his eyes Revan turned and faced the two Jedi, "It is as you know, before the Jedi betrayed me I was Darth Revan the Dark Lord of the Sith, now I will reclaim what is mine, if you two will not step aside you will only be an obstacle in that goal."_

_Jolee and Juhunai readied their lightsabers, Jolee with his green and Juhunai with her blue, as they spoke, "It was as we saw…"_

_Before Revan could question that Jolee continued, "We knew you would betray the Jedi again Revan, that is why we came to give you one final chance to turn back, but now instead I'm afraid that it is our duty as Jedi to bring you to justice, alive if possible."_

_Revan laughed coldly, "A Dark Lord of the Sith is never taken alive!"_

_Juhunai growled, "Then you are no Dark Lord, because you were captured and yet you still live."_

_Revan gripped his lightsabers and charged toward them both his silence and perfect match for the silence that soon settled over the Temple as Jolee and Juhunai breathed their last._

Bastila's voice echoed through his mind, _You see Revan, they knew that they would need to give their lives to save you, if they had ran or let you escape they would have been forced to hunt you down, driving you from the light for good, instead they sacrificed themselves so that we could be saved._

Revan felt his mind going numb from grief as he ran over the fight where he had cut down two of his best friends as Bastila continued, _Do you understand that?_

All that Revan was able to manage at the moment was a simple, _Yes._

Bastila continued, _Then we will see them once again_.

Author's Note: I hope that everyone enjoyed this Chapter; I know it was fun to write. I'm sorry for all you Dark Side fans, but at heart I still want the good guys to win, but you can see that the "shadow" of the Dark Side hasn't left Revan for good (please excuse my pun). Well stay tuned for Chapter 19 and remember, if you like, hate, or don't get it REVIEW!


	19. A New Strategy

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.

_Author's Note: After the feeling of confusion from some of my readers I thought I would explain where I was coming from with the last couple chapters. First of all Revan had begun turning from the moment he admitted he still had feelings for Bastila, if you'll notice he stops his conquest of the Republic and then focuses on capturing her completely. Once he has captured Bastila again her reaction to him and his actions start to make Revan doubt himself and starts him on the path toward taking a good hard look at himself. When he finds Bastila meditating and the change in his room was only the climax of what had been building earlier, but as you've seen from last chapter and will see in later chapters Revan still has many inner demons to fight. His turning is not going to be completely instant either, he has only taken the first step and like anyone who wants to make a major change in their life they need to change their environment first, hence the change in his outfit and equipment; I likened his redemption somewhat to overcoming an addiction, first you need to admit you have a problem, stop feeling sorry for yourself over it, and change your situation to keep yourself from failing again. You'll see in this chapter that Revan will still be battling with the image of himself he's built up and his own impulses for a while still. So I just wanted to clarify my reasoning for anyone who was confused as to what I was thinking here and hopefully when I get the prequel to this story, KOTOR II: War of Shadows, and KOTOR II: Mysteries in the Darkness what I'm doing will all make more sense. So without further delay here's…_

Chapter 19: A New Strategy

Faint flames licked at the long grass of the field surrounding the Rakata Temple as Carth, his face smeared with soot and bandages wrapped around several wounds he had taken during the final assault of the Sith base on Rakata. Around him dead Rakata Warriors and Soldiers lay beside the destroyed hulks of Sith Battle Droids and Dark Jedi where they had fallen to take back their planet from the scourge of the Sith.

Behind him the imposing bulk of the Rakatan Temple stood exactly as it had when Carth had first seen it with Revan so long ago. From across the field of battle Carth had seen Mission crying as she relived the memories of fighting with Revan here or seeing him emerge from it as the Dark Lord once more. Zaalbar reached down to rest a comforting arm across her shoulders, which only made Mission turn her face against his fur-covered side and cry harder. His own memories had threatened to over power him as well so he settled to look at the setting sun on the Rakata oceans.

Behind him Carth heard the sound of someone approaching; he turned with his hand resting on one of his blaster pistols, before he saw it was General Hul'z, "Is everything finished General?"

Hul'z bowed stiffly the result of a wound to the abdomen that he'd taken, "Yes Leader Onasi, Maxim Terra'ka reported that they are close to finding the landing pad that controls the defensive barrier around the Temple and the Star Forge that you spoke of. Once the barrier is down I have Soldiers waiting to secure the rest of the Temple and lock the Sith out of its systems; then we should be able to secure the means you require to reach the Star Forge and we can remove the Sith from our system for good."

Carth nodded, "Thank you for your help General Hul'z, without you and your Grand Army we would have never been able to capture the Temple once again. Now you should be able to reconnect this Temple with the one near your homeland and then all Rakatans can be united once more."

Hul'z smiled and clasped Carth shoulder, "You are indeed a wise man Leader Onasi, it will be an honor to have you lead the Rakata on this side of our planet together with our leader."

Carth paused before he shook his head, "I'm sorry General, but once we have defeat the Sith here I will not be able to stay. There is too much that needs to be done in the rest of the galaxy to defeat the Sith, I was honored to lead beside you, but someone will have to take my place once this is over."

General Hul'z stood there in silence before he spoke something in what Carth couldn't understand, but he translated quickly, "It is the ancient language that my people used before we developed space travel the first time, it means A true warrior never truly sleeps while a war is yet being fought, from the moment I first met you Leader Onasi I knew you were a warrior who could never be comfortable in peace."

Carth didn't answer, but both veteran leaders seemed to realize that there wasn't anything left to say, so they stood near the edge of the Temple plaza and watched the day slowly faded to night in silence.

**THE _HANDS OF JUSTICE_, CORUSCANT SYSTEM**

A patient lay on the lone medical bed in the surgery theatre on Admiral Dodonna's flagship. Her eyes slowly opened as she returned from the unconscious state that she had been in since her capture.

She stared at the white sterile ceiling of the surgery theatre as she tried to remember where she was; when she couldn't her eyes began to dart from side to side. Then she realized that she couldn't move her head as a feeling of panic began creep into her until a vaguely familiar face entered her vision. The face's aged face reminded the patient of someone, but she couldn't remember who; it seemed like someone she knew of, but had never actually met.

"Its good to see you awake Miss, we were afraid you were not going to survive your injuries. We apologize for your inability to move, but while you were unconscious you were causing damage to our equipment and personnel subconsciously through the Force so we placed a neural inhibitor on you to keep you calm and stable during the many surgeries we had to use to save your life." The face's expression became one of concern, "How are you feeling?"

The patient mumbled softly, "I still hurt, but I can't remember where I am or who I am?"

The face nodded, "One of the injuries you sustained was a bad head wound, much of your short term memory will be lost, but we hope that your long term will return with time. Until then you may call me Zhar and you are on the _Hands of Justice_, Admiral Dodonna's flagship." Zhar seemed to pause, as if waiting to see if she would say anything, when she didn't he continued, "Your name is Shalla and you were badly injured we have been healing your wounds and I am happy to say you are on your way to a full recovery."

_Shalla, my name is Shalla and I was hurt, now these people are helping me._ Shalla mumbled softly again, "Thank you Zhar…" If she was going to say anything more she didn't as the patient drifted off to unconsciousness again.

**THE _VENGEANCE_, ONROUTE TO DRALL SYSTEM**

Revan was tired and he was hungry.

The hyperspace trip from Garqi to Corellia, then to Drall, where General Oree had established his base of operations since Revan had left the fleet, was eight days long, yet neither Revan or Bastila had eaten or slept in the first five days of the trip. Both were in their quarters meditating and had been in a deep trance trying to reach Jolee and Juhunai's spirits, so far unsuccessfully.

However, neither of them felt their tiredness or their hunger because the Force was flowing through them, rushing through them and their bond, washing away any weariness they might feel.

Even now they were calling and searching through the Force as they remained focused on their memories of Jolee and Juhunai as Bastila had been taught by Master Vandar. However things were taking longer than both of them had expected.

Bastila had slowly been showing Revan how Vandar had taught her to contact the spirits of dead Jedi. They were slowly making progress, drawing closer to making contact with every effort they made.

Suddenly Bastila's presence spoke out to him, _We're almost there Revan, I think I've found them. Picture everything like I told you and hopefully we'll see our friends._

Revan did as he'd been told, visualizing the Temple landing pad where Jolee and Juhunai had died only without any of the people that were present then or Bastila's fighter, instead Revan visualized himself. When he first appeared he was shocked to find that he was once again wearing the Shadow Armor he'd made.

Revan was still trying to figure out why he was wearing the armor when Bastila appeared beside him in the same brown street clothes that she'd worn for much of their travels together while hunting for the Star Forge, "You didn't think that you'd be able to rid yourself of the Dark Side that easily did you? You've built up an image of yourself and how you should be in you mind Revan. I can help you change this, but in the end it will be up to you to make the change permanent." Bastila closed her eyes and suddenly her outfit became the traditional Jedi robes that most Jedi Knights and Masters wore. She opened her eyes again, "Picture yourself in your mind as you are then visualize the change you will make, once you have focus on those changes."

Revan nodded and closed his eyes picturing himself in the Shadow Armor, but when he went to make the change he hesitated, _What should I truly be wearing? Jedi robes would be false because I am not a Jedi, but yet I am no longer the Sith I once was._ Then Revan remembered reading about a group of Force Users that had started their training as Jedi, but left the Order and completed their training on their own, the Gray Jedi. Revan decided on that and visualized himself wearing normal Gray robes, representing the hw Gray Jedi commonly found more of a balance between the Light and Dark Sides of the Force. He focused on that image and when he opened his eyes he was please to see himself wearing the same light gray robes he'd pictured.

Bastila looked down at the robes he wore, "If you are ready I believe we should be able to contact Jolee and Juhunai now."

Revan nodded, "I am ready."

Bastila turned and faced the doorway that on the real Temple would lead to the interior of the ancient stone structure, she closed her eyes and her face became one of concentration and focus. Slowly faint figures began to appear where Jolee and Juhunai had stood when they had watched Revan join Bastila and reclaim the mantle of Darth Revan. Revan closed his eyes and visualized everything around him and then added Jolee and Juhunai standing before them, unhurt.

Several moments pasted before Revan felt Bastila touch his arm, "Look Revan."

Revan opened his eyes and he felt his knees almost buckle because their stood Jolee and Juhunai, just as he remembered them the last time he'd seen them. Both Jedi smiled warmly and nodded toward both of them.

It was Jolee who spoke first, "Revan, it is good to see you again."

Juhunai nodded as they walked to join them, "We know you must have many questions, Bastila asked the same when Master Vandar first showed brought her to us."

Bastila nodded, "And now like Master Vandar I will leave now, Revan when you feel you are ready to leave simply return to the state we were in before and awake yourself from the trance." Bastila gave Revan's arm a gentle squeeze before she spoke again, "May the Force be with you all." As the last words left her lips she slowly faded until she was gone, leaving Revan with Jolee and Juhunai on the Temple landing pad.

Jolee sighed, "Well what do you want to say Revan?"

Revan gulped slightly, "First I want to apologize-"

Both of them spoke at once, "It was the will-" Juhunai blushed and fell silent as Jolee continued, "Even after death we still get on each others' nerves. What we were both going to say was that it was the will of the Force. Before you entered the Temple we received a vision, you know that."

Juhunai jumped in as Jolee paused, "In that vision we saw that if you faced Bastila you would join her, the lure of the Dark Side is difficult to resist, especially when offered by someone you care about."

Jolee winced slightly as he continued, "However, we also saw that if we were with you in that moment when you turn you would not be held by the Dark Side forever. At the time we believed that we could have kept you from falling to Bastila offer, but now we both see the foolishness of that. Instead we now understand that by us making a stand against you as you tried to reclaim the Dark Lord's title we set in motion memories and feelings in both you and Bastila that would lead to your redemption. With that understanding we do not bear any harsh feelings toward you Revan; it was our choice to join you and to take the responsibility of our deaths to give you both the chance for redemption."

Revan stood silent as he looked at his two friends, standing there with their care and love for him flowing from them even though he had been the one to kill them. He opened his mouth to speak, but at first his voice failed him as he struggled to find the words to express his gratitude, "I…I don't know what to say, I don't deserve to have friends like you to make such a sacrifice to save me from myself."

Juhunai smiled and gently grasped his shoulder, "You saved me from my own darkness as it threatened to overcome me, it was the least I could do to play a part in helping you return to the light as you did for me."

Jolee smiled again and patted Revan's other shoulder, "I know it may not seem like much to you Revan, but all those times that you stood their talking to me about my past and constantly bugging me to get everything out in the open helped to lift a burden I'd been carrying for so long, ever since my wife joined the Dark Side and tried to kill me. I carried my guilt from that for so long, but talking to you helped me to see that it was not only my fault and it has put me at ease with my past." Jolee gave Revan a hard stare, "That's why it bothers me that after helping me deal with so much self-guilt you are tearing yourself up over events that were forced upon you and followed the will of the Force. You need to understand Revan, we have no regrets about what happened; if we hadn't gone we would have lived with the knowledge that we had a chance to save you and instead doomed to you to death as the Dark Lord of the Sith, to remain that constant cycle of death and destruction until you were consumed by it as every Dark Lord before you."

Revan looked down at the aged and pitted stone of the Temple landing pad as he spoke again, "Thank you so much, both of you, what you've done for me is something that words cannot express."

Jolee and Juhunai smiled to each other as Revan looked up again, then Juhunai spoke, "Revan there is something that I must do now, the Jedi Council on Dantooine instructed to do this when the quest to find the Star Forge was completed; more specifically Master Vandar instructed me, he wanted me to unlock all of Revan's memories if the need arose and members of the Jedi Council were not there to do it themselves. I think that the Council knew that Bastila would be captured and that if they told her how to do this she would unlock these memories at the worst time, letting them take control of you. However, we now feel that you are ready to have your old memories unlocked, giving you the keys to do what is best for the galaxy."

Revan stared at Juhunai for several minutes, "We? But we hadn't found Jolee when we last saw the Jedi Council on Dantooine."

Jolee shook his head, "No Revan it was not I who agreed with Juhunai, though I do now that I understand what she wanted to do, it was…"

A third figure appeared from the shadows of one of the pillars lining the Temple landing pad, the figure was clad in elegant red robes and as he stepped forward the Temple landing pad surrounding him became the battered and scarred bridge of a Republic Dreadnaught, "Me Revan, it was I who agreed."

Revan stared in disbelief as Jedi Master Vrook joined Jolee and Juhunai, with the Temple landing pad now half the bridge of the Dreadnaught where Revan's old apprentice, Shalla Uln, had killed him. "Master Vrook? You agreed to unlock the rest of my old memories?"

Vrook's aged face seemed to sag slightly as he nodded, "Yes Revan, you may not understand why I was always so hard on you, but I never doubted that you and the your memories were essential to the survival of the Republic and the galaxy; I was hard on you because I feared of what might happen if you fell and you never came to know what you had once knew, dooming the entire galaxy to endless suffering under the heel of the Sith." Vrook sighed deeply, "I have spent many long hours with Jolee and Juhunai, they will be there for you for when you doubt if you are staying true."

Revan gulped, "What about you Master Vrook?"

Vrook's mouth curved into a smile and he chuckled slightly, "You don't think that this is the first time that I have communicated to those living in this way do you? Come now Revan you're smarter than that, I have been meeting with Master Vandar, Zhar, and a young Jedi apprentice who you once knew quite often and now my time in this place is almost over. May the Force be with Jedi Revan, trust in it and in your companions and all will see the last of these evil days."

Juhunai bowed her head to the elderly Master, "Now Revan this will feel a little weird you will awake out of the trance after we are done, but you will not awaken for several days as you mind processes and incorporates all the new memories that we will unlock, we have already told Bastila so she will not be alarmed when you do not wake." All three Jedi looked at Revan calmly as Juhunai spoke again, "Are you ready Revan?"

Revan nodded, "Yes."

Vrook nodded, "Then kneel and close your eyes."

Revan complied and he felt all three Jedi rest their hands on his head before Vrook spoke again, "There is no death, there is the Force. Now by the Force which made things once, remake them as they once were. Repair that damage done by time, and restore all that once was known."

A gentle warmth grew from the top of Revan's head slowly spreading down until it was filling his entire body, then the heat grew hotter and hotter until Revan was certain that he should be drenched in sweat, yet his robes still felt dry.

The heat became hotter until it was almost scalding and Revan felt his mind begin to wander, he focused his thoughts on the feeling of his friends hands on his head until he heard Juhunai feline voice, "Do not fight Revan let the yourself fall to sleep…gently…"

Revan nodded, or at least thought he nodded, as he let his focus drift until his mind began to fade, then he heard Vrook's voice once more, "May the Force be with you Revan, I know you will make the Jedi Order proud."

Revan thought that he smiled in response to Vrook's comment, but before he could be sure the darkness of unconsciousness took him as the scalding heat in his body overcame his all his senses.

**THE _VENGEANCE_, OUTSKIRTS OF DRALL SYSTEM**

Bastila watched as Revan sleeping form tossed and turned a top his bed as his mind struggled to incorporate the new set of memories that had been unlocked in his head by Juhunai, Jolee, and Vrook. For easily the hundredth time Bastila reached out and touched Revan through their bond, trying to reach him and for the hundredth time all she found was a solid wall as Revan blocked her completely.

With a quiet sigh Bastila pulled back as Revan mumbled something in one of the alien languages that he knew as the tossing and turning subsided for a minute.

Revan had been in this state for three days now as he tried to combined the memories that he had known as the Dark Lord of the Sith the first time. Bastila had come to Revan's quarters as soon as she had woken from her trance, by the time she had been able to convince HK-47 to let her enter its master's quarters the former Dark Lord had moved from the trance that he had used to communicate with the spirits of their old friends to a deep, almost comatose-like sleep as his mind struggle to understand the new information that was now flooding through his mind.

Bastila had stayed at Revan's side for every waking moment, drawing on the Force to keep her awake and sustain her body until Revan awoke. She could only imagine what Revan would think when he awoke or who he would be after the memories were back, she could only hope that they would not overpower the new memories that Revan had created since his capture.

A shudder ran through Bastila as she imagined having to face Revan as he had been when she had captured him, _This is why the Jedi Council discourages doing what they did with Revan after his capture. Messing with the mind is so dangerous because you never know how it will adapt or react to the changes. I can only hope that this time the changes won't backfire._

Suddenly Revan's sleeping form started to toss again as he relived another of the memories that had been unlocked, from mumbled words and feelings that she had received through their bond Bastila had figured out that Revan's mind seemed to be cycling through all of his memories, both the new ones and the old, like a computer checking all of its files.

Slowly the tossing subsided and Revan returned to an almost death-like stillness that was only disturbed by his shallow breathing and the thin layer of sweat that covered his face.

Grabbing towel from her lap Bastila reached over and wiped the sweat from Revan's face and then checked for any response from him through their bond again; however, she still did not get any response.

Bastila started to pulled her arm back, but as her hand crossed before Revan's face his eyes snapped open and Bastila found herself frozen in his Force Grip as his gray-blue eyes looked over at her. Bastila fought the urge to try and free herself, instead she opened herself to their bond and tried to contact Revan; the response he got was one of confusion and surprise as Revan's short term memories slowly began to filter back into place.

Even so Bastila knew she needed to reassure him, _Revan? Are you alright?_

Revan's response was slow to return, almost as if he wasn't sure who she was at first, _I think I'm alright, but where am I?_

Bastila sighed, _You are in you quarters onboard the _Vengeance_, do you remember meeting with Jolee and Juhunai?_

Revan remained silent for sometime as he tried to remember, _Yes and Master Vrook was there as well, they were going to unlock my old memories._

Bastila had to pause for a moment, she hadn't though that Vrook would be there, but if he was then he must have made his peace with Revan. Bastila sent comfort and confidence through their bond then she spoke, "So are you planning on keeping me here as a statue or will I get to finally move?"

Revan blinked several times, almost as if he hadn't even noticed what he was doing, as his eyes focused in Bastila and immediately the pressure that was holding her in place released and Bastila was able to finish pulling her arm back. As she leaned back Revan slowly lifted himself upright, a lost expression on his face as he ran through the memories he had of his life before the events leading up to his capture by Bastila.

Suddenly Revan turned and locked eyes with Bastila and what she saw in his eyes made her blood go cold, despite his otherwise calm expression Revan's eyes revealed the turmoil raging beneath as he began to understand everything that had been happening to him since he had awoken on the _Endar Spire_.

Both of them stood staring at each other for several minutes until finally Revan seemed to finally be able to get past the though-induced paralysis that had been holding him and blinked as his lips curled into a small smile, "Thank you Bastila."

Bastila stopped and looked at him questioningly, "What?"

Revan sighed and sat upright in his bed, "I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me, even when I had betrayed the Jedi and the Republic you didn't give up on me and when I was going to die and you could have been hailed as the Jedi who defeat Darth Revan in combat you saved me and allowed me a chance to redeem myself. I know that I would be lost if you were not such a loyal and compassionate person." Revan smiled and lifted his hand to brush Bastila's face.

Bastila felt herself blush slightly as Revan's hand brushed her cheek and came to rest on her shoulder, she gathered herself to speak to tell him she did it all because of how she felt for him and cared for him, but Revan placed a finger over her lips and shook his head, "Not now Bastila, there are so many things that I know I need to do now, things that will require every ounce of my concentration and focus and," Revan smiled as he removed his finger from her lips, "even if I may want to tell you everything and here the same from you I'm afraid the joy I would feel would be a lethal distraction." Without another word Revan rose and quickly strapped put the rest of his robes and armor on and then placed a form shrouding hooded black cloak that hid his new appearance.

Silently Revan slid forward to the door, stopping only to glance at Bastila one more time, a feeling a sadness and acceptance coming through their bond, before he stepped through the doorway and left Bastila sitting beside his bed in the shadows of his quarters, still unsure exactly what had just happened.

_Author's Note: Well that's Chapter 19 it took me forever to get it right, but I think I've finally got it the way I want. Next Chapter will be interesting as Revan begins to plan how to rectify what he's done. Stay tuned and please keep reviewing, but keep the swear words out of the reviews._


	20. The Saboteur

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.**

Chapter 20: The Saboteur

Revan sighed heavily as he stepped into the turbolift with HK-47 beside him and ascended to the Sith Battlecruiser's bridge, so many things had changed during the past few days and now he knew what he needed to do.

He was going to destroy the Sith Empire from the inside.

With a faint hiss the doors of the turbolift opened to reveal the bridge of his flagship with Lt. Commander Zintel standing beside Revan's command chair as he completed the process of putting _Vengeance _into high orbit around Drall along with four Sith Destroyers from the part of the Sith Fleet that Revan had left under the command of General Oree in the ex-Dark Lord's absence.

As nervous as ever Zintel noticed Revan's shrouded form and snapped to attention, "Welcome back my Lord Revan, it is good to have you back with us."

Revan nodded slowly, "At ease Commander, what is the status of our invasion of the Corellian Sector?"

Zintel glanced over at the tactical display panel he'd was standing beside before he responded, "General Oree has taken six Destroyers to raid a Republic convoy that he'd been alerted to near the Commenor System, leaving eight more Destroyers to secure the system after defeating the defenses surrounding it." The pale Lt. Commander returned his glance to the screen as he continued to look over new information, "Also in your absence another fleet commander, Lt. General Nathan Devall, used the five Destroyers under his command to capture the outer planets of the Duro System and is poised to invade the Duro homeworld once he has received additional reinforcements from the rest of the Sith Fleet."

Revan sat down in his command chair, letting the shadow of his hood hide his face as he responded, "What of Admiral Ordo's activities in the Sesswenna Sector?"

The pale Lt. Commander called up the data and read it over before answering, "Admiral Ordo's forces have succeeded in conquering 40 percent of the Sector, however the Republic Fleet has begun to put on a tougher defense and his advance has been slowed with a siege going on around Ghorman."

Revan brushed his chin with his right hands as a plan formulated in his mind before he stood, "I'm going to my Ready Room, please contact Admiral Ordo and relay the communication to me on a secure channel."

Zintel bowed deeply, "At once Lord Revan."

Revan stepped into his Ready Room, leaving HK-47 to guard the door, and removed the black cloak as he approached his desk and set the cloak on the back of the desk's chair. Revan looked over the room and sighed as the desk's comlink beeped, signaling an incoming transmission.

Revan pressed the button and Lt. Commander Zintel's voice came over the speaker, "Lord Revan I have Admiral Ordo standing by, I will patch him through immediately."

Revan sat down in his chair and angled the holoprojector so that it would only show his face on the other end of the communications feed and looked up as Canderous's image leapt from his desk's holopad, dressed in a Sith Admiral's uniform Canderous struck an impressive sight as he bowed his head slightly, "It is good to hear from you Revan; I hope that your mission was a success."

Revan smiled, "It is good to see you to Canderous. However, I'm afraid that things will be changing shortly, very soon I will be implementing a new strategy in this war and I will need you to be ready to leave and meet me on Dxun when I send a communication to you, when this comes I need you to leave immediately."

A puzzled expression crossed the Mandalorian's face, "But why Revan, what is going on?"

Revan shook his head, "I'm afraid I don't have time to explain Canderous, but believe when I say that it will be for the best."

Before Canderous could say anything more Revan deactivated the holopad and placed the black cloak over his form again as he pressed the comlink in his desk, "Communications would please contact General Oree and Lt. General Devall as soon as possible, I will speak to however you can reach first." Revan heard an affirmative response over the comlink's speaker as he called up information on Lt. General Devall from the Sith Fleet database.

According to the database Devall was in his early thirties and had taken command of his squadron when the previous commander, General Vince Certa, had died under suspicious circumstances. The evidence in the case suggested poison, but there was not enough to prove that Devall had been responsible for the death, so it had not been pursed further. Since then Devall had shown ruthless tactics in combat, even to the point of bombarding a small nomad village after they had harbored a Jedi that he had been pursuing, and his forces had served with distinction in several battle with the Republic since Revan had attacked the Republic as the Dark Lord the first time.

Revan closed down the database link as the comlink beeped with an incoming message. Revan pressed the button and the Communications officer's voice came over the speaker, "Lord Revan I have reached Lt. General Devall and I will be transferring him to you; I am having some difficulty reaching General Oree as must be in combat with the Republic convoy at the moment."

Revan sighed, "Very well, before you transfer the link make sure it is secured, then transfer it to me."

A faint response came over the speaker as the transmission was rerouted.

The holoprojector crackled to life to show Lt. General Devall's figure, the man was a tall, lean man with trimmed black hair and a thin mustache across his upper lip. The lean man dropped to one knee with a fluidity that spoke of the strength his lean muscles contained and bowed his head, "It is an honor to finally to meet you Lord Revan, I have been looking forward to the time when I would be bale to finally meet the man who started the very empire that now terrorizes the Republic."

Revan smiled faintly at the man's obvious ambition, he would work perfectly for his plan, "It is always good to meet a rising star in the Sith Fleet such as yourself, your recent maneuvers against the Republic have shown a degree of intuition and originality that many commanders in the Sith Fleet lack. It is for that reason that, effective immediately, I am promoting you to the rank of General and giving you command of the Sith Fleet in the Corellian Sector."

Devall looked up and smiled eagerly, "Thank you my Lord, I will be sure to show you that your faith in me is not misplaced."

Revan nodded slightly, "Do not worry General I know you'll serve the Sith Empire in the exact way that I hope you to." Revan saw a slight look of confusion cross the newly promoted General's face before he continued, "I have been reviewing your file General and I think that you will be perfect to oversee the running of the Sith Empire for a time while I am away from the Empire."

Silence hung in the air for several moments, with Devall's eyes shooting so while they seemed about to fall out his head before he could speak, "The entire Empire? I am honored that you have chosen me for this honor my Lord Revan, but what of Admiral Ordo he is the senior officer in the Sith Fleet and should take over while you are gone."

Revan shook his head, "Admiral Ordo will be leaving as well General Devall, leaving you in position to take command in my stead, until I return of course."

Devall rose to his feet and smiled, "I will use every ship that you give me to unleash more terror on the enemies of the Sith."

Revan chuckled silently, "Very good General Devall, I will contact you shortly after I have made the final preparations before I leave the fleet, but feel free to start planning your next moves; remember you will have many enemies as the new leader of the Sith Empire, so be sure that you take any steps necessary to keep your position secure; if you were to do anything less I would consider it a failure to keep the Sith Empire secure."

Devall snapped to attention and saluted, "You need not worry Lord Revan I will do what ever is needed to keep the Sith Empire under my control until you return."

Revan couldn't help but smile at the conviction that the man spoke with as he replied, "Excellent General, then I will leave the future of the Empire in your hands, good luck." Without waiting for Devall's response Revan ended the transmission as he waited for General Oree to be reached so he could set the next part of his plan into motion.

Several minutes pasted before the desk comlink beeped with a n incoming message; Revan activate the holoprojector and General Oree's broad figure appeared before the former Dark Lord.

Oree dropped to his knee and bowed his head, "It is good to see you have return Lord Revan, as Lt. Commander Zintel has told you I have just finished raiding a Republic convoy near Commenor and I am happy to report that the raid was a complete success."

Revan smiled, "That is excellent news General, which only reinforces my decision to leave you in command of the Sith Empire while Admiral Ordo and I are away from the fleet."

Oree froze for a few moments as he tried to make sure he had understood what Revan had just said, "Thank you Lord Revan I am honored that you have chosen to put such faith in me, I will do my best to see that the Sith Empire is ready and strong to return to your leadership when you return."

Revan nodded slowly, "No need to worry General, however, I should tell you that there will undoubtedly be officers in the Sith Empire who will see my leaving again as a sign to try and carve out an empire of their own, especially if I am away for as long as I believe that I will be."

General Oree rose to his feet with a determined look in his eyes, "You may rest assured my Lord that I will crush any that try to steal that which you have fought so hard to forge."

Revan kept his face emotionless as he responded, "I have complete faith in you General Oree and I know you will not fail me." Revan paused as Oree nodded and saluted one final time before the former Dark Lord ended the transmission.

Revan rose from his desk and sighed as he made his way to the door that led back to the bridge, _Well now everything is ready, all I must do is put everything into motion._

The door to the bridge of his flagship hissed open and Revan paused for a moment to look over everything before he stepped through the open doorway.

As the door to his Ready Room closed behind him Revan turned to face HK-47, "HK-47 I have new orders for you, I want you to go to the Engineering Room and slave all ships systems to my command chair, once you have done this contact me on your integrated comlink."

HK-47 turned and looked at Revan through orange photoreceptors, "Statement: Orders confirmed Master. Question: What if some of the meatbag crewmembers attempt to interfere with my mission?"

Revan sighed as he felt the heavy weight of responsibility beginning to rest on his shoulders, "You are to perform this mission with the utmost secrecy HK-47, however this is also a top priority mission and if you are unable to avoid combat you are to incapacitate any who interfere with you mission."

HK-47's eye's glowed slightly brighter for a moment before he responded, "Regretful Confirmation: Understood Master, though I wish you would let me blast any interfering meatbags, I will comply with your mission parameters."

Without another word HK-47 marched off the bridge as Revan sat down in his command chair as he looked out over seeing his new strategy unfold before his eyes.

**RAKATAN TEMPLE, TEMPLE ISLAND, RAKATA**

Out of the dozen Assault transports and thirty-six fighters that the Sith had deployed to the surface of Rakata only three transports and seven fighters remained that were in the Temple hangar, but none were serviceable. Any space worthy ship that remained had been sabotaged by a Sith lightsaber before the survivors from the Rakata assault on the Temple had escaped.

Carth inspected the engine core of the last Sith fighter, only to see the primary energy core and the connectors running from it fused together by the heat of the lightsaber blade that had been stabbed through fusion core itself.

"Sithspawn!" Carth slammed his fist down on the hull of the fighter, rocking the small ship slightly on its landing struts.

Carth felt a comforting hand on his shoulder and turned to see Mission looking at him concerned, "It's okay Carth, we'll find a way to get off the planet, maybe we can repair on ship from all the different parts from crashed ships around the islands; we can't give up."

Carth shrugged her hand off and stalked off. Since the Rakata had taken control of their planet Carth had resigned from being the Leader of the Rakata, choosing The Storyteller to replace him. Now Carth, Mission, and Zaalbar were trying to find a way to reach the Star Forge, General Hul'z and The Storyteller had both promised to give Carth as many Soldiers and Warriors as could be brought with them to attack the Star Forge, but neither leader knew how the more advanced technology worked, so it was up to the three of them to find a ship and make it work so they could leave.

However, things were not going as planned. The Sith had fled the Temple shortly after the final defensive barrier surrounding it had come down, but not before sabotaging every ship they were not taking with them; which left Carth and his friends with a hangar full of useless ships.

Carth's fuming was suddenly interrupted by the sound of an object whistling through the air behind him, he started to duck but the small crate still managed to catch him across the shoulders and knocked him to the ground.

Carth pushed the crate off him and turned to face his attacker only to find Mission glaring furiously at him, "Now you listen here-"

Mission never let him finish, instead she walked up to him and slapped him across the face so hard that Carth saw stars, then she kicked his legs out from under him and pinned him to the ground with a knee to his back. "No you listen Carth. Ever since we got dumped here you've been fighting to get off this planet, even when things looked their worst you'd keep going; you even let the Rakatans to victory over the Sith!" Mission pressed her knee harder as she continued, "And now you want to just give up, simply because some Sith with a lightsaber burnt a few holes in what you thought were going to be our rides? Come on now, if that's all the fight you've got left in you then you really are mellowing out in your old age."

Carth stopped moving for a moment and Mission started to stand up, thinking she had gotten through to him, when Carth rolled suddenly and knocked her legs out from under her, dropping her unceremoniously onto the hangar deck, "Old am I?"

Mission flipped one of her lekku over her shoulder and started to respond to Carth's move, but Carth forestalled her by placing a hand out to help her up. She grabbed his hand and the grizzled veteran lifted her up and smiled, "But your right, thanks Mission." Determination surged into his eyes once more, "Now let's get off this planet."

**THE _VENGEANCE_, DRALL SYSTEM**

Revan gazed through the viewport of his flagship as it orbited over Drall with the few elements of the Sith Fleet that General Oree had left behind to defend the planet he had made his base of operations since Revan left him in command of the conquest of the Corellia Sector.

Now Revan was waiting to reverse everything that he had helped accomplish as the Dark Lord of the Sith, both before and after his capture by the Republic under Bastila.

Unknowingly Revan turned his thoughts to Bastila who was quietly waiting in her quarters where she had stayed since Revan had woken with his old memories. He knew now what he had to do and he was going to be sure that Bastila stayed safe through it all so she could help the Republic recover from the damage that he had helped inflict.

Quietly Revan's comlink chirped with an incoming message, slowly he brought it to his ear and heard HK-47 mechanical voice come through the device, "Proud Statement: Objective achieved Master. Regretful Admission: I am also unhappy to report that I was able to complete the mission without having to harm any of the meatbags who crew the engineering sections of the _Vengeance_."

Revan sighed inwardly, "Excellent work HK, now return to my quarters and guard Bastila's door against any who would try to enter it other than myself and lock Bastila quarters so that she can not leave her quarters either."

HK-47's voice replied quickly, "Confirmation: Mission acknowledged. Annoyed Statement: I fail to understand why you would waste such a useful droid like myself to guard that female Jedi, especially when the chances of someone trying to kill her are so slim. Eager Question: Unless of course you are changing your mind about her Master and will need me to eliminate her?"

Revan suppressed a snort, "No HK-47 you will not be eliminating Bastila, however, you will most likely see more action guarding her than you think, because things onboard are about to get very hectic indeed."

HK-47's mechanical voice held a small measure of droid enthusiasm. "Excited Statement: Oh very good Master, I do hope that this happens soon because I have been feeling a growing feeling to blast something."

Revan shook his head and deactivated his comlink as he called up the engineering specs that HK had rerouted to his command chair. Quickly Revan disabled the safeties on the primary fusion reactor and engaged a build up that would result in a dangerous overload that would destroy the Sith Battlecruiser.

With the build up in process Revan sat back and waited for the engineering crew to notice the change and alert the bridge.

At his station Lt. Commander Zintel answered his comlink and suddenly his eyes went wide as he heard the news from the engineering room. Quickly he nearly ran over to Revan and spoke quickly, "Lord Revan I beg your forgiveness, but it appears there has been an act of sabotage on our primary fusion reactor and it will detonate in fifteen minutes, we need to evacuate the ship so that we can expose that entire ship to vacuum to disperse the excess radiation through the entire ship. This will relieve the excess heat and save the ship and it will only take us three days to cleanse the ship so it can been inhabited again.

Revan nodded, "Very well Commander, I trust you will find who is responsible for this sabotage and punish them accordingly?"

Zintel nodded quickly, "Of course Lord Revan, that will be our primary goal during the time while we are cleansing the ship.

After giving Revan a bow the pale officer rushed over to the ship-wide intercom and spoke urgently over the system, "All hands abandon the _Vengeance_, this is not a drill! Our primary fusion reactor is threatening to overload. Say again all hands are to abandon ship so we can safely vent the overloading fusion reactor." With that Zintel deactivated the intercom and turned to Revan, "If you wish Lord Revan I can have your personal fighter readied and assign a pilot to move the _Ebon Hawk_ out of the ship before we evacuate."

Revan shook his head and used the Force to plant a suggestion in the officer's mind as he spoke, "That won't be necessary Commander I will remain her to be sure that the saboteur does not try to steal vital information while the ship is deserted, I will be able to reach my escape vessels much easier than the rest of the crew so I am the logical choice to stay until the last possible moment."

Zintel paused as the suggestion took hold in his mind then nodded, "Of course Lord Revan, it is the most logical choice for you to remain behind so that you can catch the saboteur in the act." Without another word the Lt. Commander walked off the bridge behind the last few members of the bridge crew, leaving Revan to sit alone as shuttles and various fighters flew past the Battlecruiser's bow toward the rest of the Sith Destroyers waiting in orbit at a safe distance from the dangerous Sith flagship.

Revan sighed and started calling up all the systems that HK-47 had rerouted to his command chair and checked the life support systems so he could check on any remaining crewmembers onboard.

Within minutes, in a impressive display of discipline, the entire crew of the massive warship was safely off and well outside the minimum safe distance of the possible blast radius if the overloading fusion reactor went critical.

Quickly Revan typed in a series of commands that began to return the reactor to normal and raised the heavy shields around the _Vengeance_ as the final ships from the evacuation of his flagship docked with the four Sith Destroyers orbiting Drall.

It wasn't long before the leader of the four Destroyers contacted the Sith Battlecruiser, confused as to why it had raised it shields and the reactor had returned to normal.

Revan ignored the attempts at communication as he check the status of the _Vengeance_, everything seemed in good order; with the only exception being an unforeseen side-effect of the near overload of the fusion reactor he created leaving the mighty warships' engines completely inoperable for thirty minutes until the reactor had cooled down enough to power the massive drives to break free of Drall's gravity to enter hyperspace.

On one of his command chairs' consoles a tactical warning system pinged a warning that the Sith forces had deployed a squadron of Sith Fighters that were making a flyby of the mighty Sith flagship.

Revan's hands flew over the consoles as he began the warm-up sequence for the hundreds of weapons systems that the _Vengeance_ boasted and began setting up the computer controlled targeting systems that would make the weapons fire at his bidding.

The Sith squadron had made two complete passes and was about to begin a third when the communications system of the entire Sith taskforce crackled to life, "Attention Sith forces, this is the new owner of your flagship I would advise you to remove your fighters from my weapons systems range or they will soon cease to exist."

Revan couldn't help but chuckle slightly as he ended the transmission when the squadron peeled off to rejoin the rest of the fighters the Sith taskforce was suddenly deploying, "Well I guess that got their attention." Calmly Revan set the weapons systems to prepare to fire as the first Sith Fighters approached the Battlecruiser's firing range as more Fighters followed in their wake and more rose from Drall's surface, with the four Sith Destroyers following slowly in their wake.

Revan smiled grimly, _So it begins_. With the same expression pasted on his face Revan ordered all forward weapons batteries to open fire, filling the space between the swarm of Sith Fighters and the Sith warship with ruby and blue bolts of energy.

Small explosions blossomed within the Sith formations and the deck vibrated slightly under Revan's feet as the ship shock under the recoil of her weapons and the impact of return fire from the Sith squadrons.

More impacts sounded as Revan saw the first Sith Destroyer join her fire to the Fighter squadrons and in response Revan quickly targeted most of the Battlecruiser's heavy weapons of the Destroyer, sending bolts of destruction lancing out toward the attacking Sith warship.

Revan smiled in satisfaction as the Destroyer's shields fell and her silver hull began to show black scars, as he started to relay new orders the comm. system beeped with an incoming message. Revan set the warship's weapons batteries under the command of her tactical computer and then answered the hail, "This is the _Vengeance_'s master speaking, have you come to request surrender?"

A slightly confident, though frail voice answered him, the voce of Lt. Commander Zintel, "I would advise you to surrender saboteur for you see Darth Revan himself is onboard your vessel and I would not expect him to be merciful to you for trying to steal his flagship."

Revan struggled not to laugh as he answered the Commander, "I wouldn't count on that, you see Darth Revan is no longer in control of this vessel and won't return."

On the other end of the transmission Revan could hear nothing but silence as Zintel obviously assumed the worst about Revan's fate before he finally responded, "Then we will destroy you in vengeance for Darth Revan."

Revan shook his head as the transmission was ended at how the Sith officer had assumed that he meant that Revan was dead, which was partly true.

Revan brought his attention back to the space battle as the rest of the Sith Destroyers joined the battle, though the first one to attack was already belching flames and drifting away, escape pods jettisoning from her hull like spores. Revan quickly checked the warship's shield status and was surprised to find that the overall shield strength was down to forty percent and dropping quickly.

Revan returned to concentrating his fire to another Destroyer when a hard impact shook the bridge and the damage reports wailed that shields over the hangar were down and that the Sith had landed a half dozen assault transports to try and capture the Sith Battlecruiser intact.

Quickly cycling through the commands at his disposal Revan activated the small force of Sith HK-Alpha Battle Droids that had been store onboard and ordered them to engage the Sith boarding parties, as well as activating the various defense systems that were hidden in the long corridors of the warship.

With the _Vengeance_'s shields down the Sith taskforce fired only with their ion cannon batteries so as to not destroy the Battlecruiser now that they had a boarding party on board. Within minutes the concentrate attacks rendered most of the weapons system that the Sith warship boast inoperable as the ion blasts disabled the computer systems that Revan was using to control the mighty vessel. Fortunately the Battlecruiser's engines and the command lines that Revan used to control them were unaffected, so he could still leave once the engines came online again.

Now with his ship's offensive abilities out of the picture Revan turned to the defense of his ship, bringing up images of the invading Sith boarding parties as they began to engage the Alphas Revan had activated.

As Revan watched on he saw the ruby blades of four Dark Jedi cutting their way through the Alphas that opposed them, though from the way they fought it was clear they were more than mere Dark Jedi, they were Sith Lords who had come to eliminate the saboteur they believe had been able to kill Darth Revan.

Unconsciously Revan unclipped his lightsaber and rose from his command chair, though not before programming the nav computer to move to enter hyperspace once the engines were back online and then locking the command chair's access so only he could use it.

With everything prepared Revan moved to be ready to meet these Sith Lords.

It took the quartet of Sith Lords only five minutes to reach the bridge of the Sith flagship, leaving the pacification of the rest of the ship to the Sith Troopers who had traveled with them, while they eliminated the source of these problems.

The blast door for the bridge retracted to reveal four men dressed in night-black robes all wielding ruby-bladed lightsabers of various styles that hummed through the air as they stepped onto the bridge, their yellow eyes searching for their foe.

The leader, a tall man with flowing white hair and a brutal lightsaber scar along his forehead, spoke in a confident voice, "Come forth at face your doom, we know that you are here."

His only answer was the blast doors suddenly closing behind them and the operating console deactivating, effectively sealing the Sith Lords inside.

The leader spoke again, this though to two of his comrades on his right, a young blonde haired woman and a black man with blood red tattoos covering his entire head, "Zalia and Victor, you two will check the officer on our right, while myself and," the leader gestured to the short, muscular man on his left, "Sax check the office on the left. Once you find our foe we will cut him down without mercy."

The four Sith Lords quickly checked both offices, yet when they rejoined each other by the blast door they had yet to find their quarry.

Victor's tattooed face formed into a scowl, "Could he have escaped the bridge?"

The leader shook his head, "There were only two life forms onboard when we reached the bridge, one was in Revan's personal chambers two decks down which was the traitor Bastila that Revan had been trying to break again and one on the bridge where all ship's systems had been rerouted, he is here somewhere."

The blonde woman, Zalia, snorted, "Then where is he now Sylfaen?"

Before Sylfaen could respond a calm voice echoed through the bridge, "He's right here." All four Sith Lords turned to see a figure dressed in a brown over robe having suddenly appeared at the front of the bridge, with the hood hiding its face, and a deactivated lightsaber in his hand, "I am the one you have come for."

The four Sith Lords smiled eagerly as they let the Dark Side rage through them and they felt only a small whisper of the Force in their opponent, then they brought their respective lightsaber to the ready and charged forward to cut down the figure who had killed Darth Revan.

Even as they grew closer the figure stay perfectly still, seemingly unconcerned as the Sith Lords drew closer.

_Author's Note: Well there's Chapter 20 I hope everyone liked it. I think I know where I am going to move to finish this story off, but I'm going to continue Revan's story in my pair of KOTOR II stories. Once again thanks to everyone who has reviewed and continuing to read, I appreciate it._


	21. Countdown to Endgame

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.**

Chapter 21: Countdown to Endgame

The ruby lightsabers of the four Sith Lords threw red highlights over the empty bridge of the Sith Battlecruiser as they rush forward to engage the brown robed figure, who stood completely still with his lightsaber dormant at his side.

Soon the Sith Lords began to outpace each other as the quicker ones pulled ahead of their comrades to get the first attack on their foe.

In the end it was Sax, the short, muscular man who reached the figure first lifting his single ruby blade high to cut down the fool who had yet to react to him as he came ever closer to killing him.

Sax started to swing his lightsaber down to cleave his target's head in two, a savage grin of triumph on his face as he knew no one could avoid the death he was about to deal.

Then in a blur so fast it appeared as if the figure hadn't moved the lightsaber in his hand ignited and made three quick cuts, severing Sax's lightsaber in two, dismembering his right arm from his shoulder, and bisecting the Sith Lord at the waist before he even realized that his target had even moved.

The other three Sith Lords came to a sudden halt as Sax's body hit the forward bridge viewport with meaty smacks and the now armed figure stood with his lightsaber held ready at his side, its silver blade humming quietly.

Sylfaen, his long white hair faintly red from his lightsaber, growled as he and the other two Sith Lords slowly advanced on the figure, "Who are you so that we may tell all who so foolishly tried to steal the flagship of the Sith Fleet."

The figure's hooded head tilted slightly as if considering the Sith Lord's request then suddenly what had been a whisper in the Force became a maelstrom so strong that it knocked all three Sith Lords off their feet and blew the brown over robe the figure wore off to pool behind him.

Quickly the three Sith Lords scrambled to their feet glared uneasily at the figure, if he could create such power through the Force and could defeat Darth Revan how could they hope to defeat him?

Still appearances had to be made so Sylfaen chuckled, "Very impressive, but you still haven't said who you are."

Revan couldn't hide his smile as the white haired leader repeated himself, _I guess that's the result of all those years encased in armor that hid my face from everyone that followed me._ Smiling still Revan replied to the three Sith Lords, "Once I was known as Darth Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith, a name that struck fear into the hearts of all who heard it and might have brought the galaxy to its knees. However I bear that title no more, instead I am simply Revan and I am here to reverse the damage I once wrought on the galaxy, starting with the very Empire I helped create."

Revan let his words sink in for several moments as the Sith Lords began to understand what this figure was talking about.

Victor seemed to be the first one to grasp what Revan meant and a low hiss escaped his lips as he charged forward with his double bladed lightsaber throwing blood red highlights to match his tattoos across his face as he rush to engage Revan.

It seemed that once Victor had come to a conclusion about how to respond to Revan's revelation the other two Sith Lords followed in suit their ruby lightsaber blades humming through the air as they moved to engage the redeemed Revan.

Revan tightened his grip on his lightsaber and opened himself completely to the Force, letting it race through him and guide his movements as he moved to fight the three Sith Lords.

Revan concentrated his attention on Victor first since most dual-bladed Sith tended to rely on brute strength more than skill in combat, especially when they gave into their anger as Victor clearly had done by his overpowered swings and angry scowl that seemed pasted to his face.

Revan batted aside Victor's opening attack, bringing his lightsaber side-to-side in a series of parries that forced the Sith Lord on the defensive before he lashed out with his right foot and connected solidly with the tattooed man's stomach, the force of the impact pitching the Sith Lord backwards.

Victor let loose a low groan that echoed through the bridge as he fell to the deck while struggling to keep Revan's humming blade from finding his body.

However, Revan didn't reduce the speed of his assault and only was pausing from pressing the fallen Sith Lord's defenses to launch an attack that pushed Sylfaen and Zalia back so he could continue to focus on Victor. Finally Revan found his opening and brought his foot down on Victor's lightsaber, smashing the blade's handle into Victor's forehead and snapping it when his boot connected with the Sith Lord's head, leaving a bloodied cut from the metal cylinder. A gurgling sound came for Victor as the Sith Lord fell unconscious leaving the other two to face Revan.

Sylfaen and Zalia slowly spread apart to attack Revan on the flanks forcing him to divide his attention between the two, but Revan wasn't fooled. Both Sith Lords lashed out together, Zalia attacking Revan's legs and Sylfaen slashing at his arm; Revan twisted taking Sylfaen's blow on the cortisis armor on his back while he blocked Zalia's blow with a low slash of his silvery blade. Their blades hissed as they collided which only hid the impact of Revan throwing his left fist into Zalia's nose, knocking the female Sith Lord back a few steps letting Revan face Sylfaen alone.

The elder Sith Lord snapped his lightsaber back into a high guard as Revan advanced to take advantage of the isolated white haired man. Revan lashed out in a series of beautifully timed jabs and slashes that pressed the Sith Lord back down the bridge walkway that he had just charged up, while Zalia hurried to rejoin the fight as she tried to clear her head from Revan's hit.

Finally Sylfaen tried to put Revan on the defensive lunching an attack at the ex-Dark Lord's feet. Revan easily jumped over the attack and used the Force to use the Sith Lord's momentum to pull him forward so that he lost his balance and fell toward Revan. Revan landed down on Sylfaen's forearm pushing the arm down with his weight and crushing his hand beneath a heavy boot, with the sounds of cracking bones echoing through the bridge just before Sylfaen screamed out in pain.

However, Revan only rested on the unfortunate Sith Lord's arm long enough to settle his weight, then he leapt into the air again flipping over the man's prone form with his lightsaber lashing out and connecting with the back of Sylfaen's neck and his painful spasms suddenly stopped as he lost all feeling in his body from the neck down.

Revan landed easily behind the paralyzed Sith Lord and slowly turned to face Zalia as she paused, with Sylfaen's disabled body lying between them, considering the wisdom of facing Revan alone.

From his place on the ground Sylfaen snarled through the pain he was feeling from his neck, "Finish him Zalia!"

The blonde woman glared at the older man and then in one move completely decapitated him, "Shut up you old fool." Zalia glance over her right shoulder and saw Victor groggily waking from the nap that Revan had forced on him, "Hurry Victor get Sylfaen's lightsaber and we can still finish this!"

The Force surged as Victor used it to clear his head and call the deceased Sylfaen's lightsaber to his hand as he used a torn piece of cloth to wipe his blood from his forehead, "You'll pay for that Revan, I'm going to enjoy killing you." Even as his words left his mouth Zalia shot her hand out, firing blue forks of Force Lightning at Revan's apparent unsuspecting form.

Revan's lightsaber appeared suddenly to block the Force Lightning, sending blocked bolts in every direction shattering computer screens or scorching deck plating where ever they touched.

Zalia growled and increased the power of her attack forcing Revan to bring both hands to hold his lightsaber as he better positioned himself to hold off her attack as the Sith Lord grinned victoriously.

Revan held his ground as she continued to pour on her attack, the brilliant flashes of the Force Lightning keeping him from seeing Victor as the dark skinned Sith Lord crept around the display to attack Revan from behind while the ex-Dark Lord was distracted, trusting Zalia to keep her aim true.

Zalia noticed Victor's move and drew deeply on the Dark Side to fuel her attack, she felt the Dark Side aging her skin and parts of her hair turning white, but she accepted it as a worthwhile trade to be the one to kill Revan in combat.

Victor reached the opposite end of the walkway and slowly moved forward to position himself for the perfect kill then he would be the one to have killed Revan, once he killed the exhausted Zalia that is.

Victor reach striking range of Revan, the ex-Dark Lord still unaware of the danger behind him as Victor swung to strike him down.

Revan felt the attack moments before it hit him and he pushed himself upward in a Force-assisted jump, leaving Victor to take the full brunt of Zalia's next Force Lightning attack. The blue lightning lanced out and struck Victor sending the Sith Lord into convulsions from the pain of the attack as Revan continuing his leap over Zalia, his lightsaber snapping down from his side to strike at Zalia, as the woman stared in shock as her attack hit Victor with its full power. Finally the Force Lightning ended and Victor fell to the deck, his burnt body smoking from the attack; seconds later Zalia's body fell to the deck cleaved neatly in two by Revan's attack.

Revan deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt as he rose from the crouched position he'd landed in. Through the viewport Revan saw the three remaining Sith Destroyers waiting nearby as they waited to here from their boarding parties to reclaim the Sith Battlecruiser.

Revan called his brown over robe over to him and pulled it back on as he walked over to his command chair and unlocked the system so he could check on the status of the warship's engines.

The damage reports showed that the engines would be online in two minutes, though the same could not be said for most of the weapons systems that the Battlecruiser boasted.

There were still several weapons systems that were functional and could provide an impressive defense against most enemies, but what remained was only a small fraction of what she once had at her disposal, without repairs to the remote control systems and the firing mechanism of many of the weapons batteries the large majority of the _Vengeance_'s impressive firepower would remain out of commission.

Fortunately the small army of repairs droids had automatically begun repairs on the damaged shields systems and now they were ready to be raised at Revan's command.

Hands flying over the consoles Revan checked the status of the rest of the Sith invaders and was please to see they had been eliminated by the Alphas that had avoided the Sith Lords and that the ship was back under his control once again.

Revan keyed in a series of commands that sent the repair droids to begin moving spare explosives to the bow of the Battlecruiser as he programmed orders that he could activated at the same time. With his orders ready Revan sat back in his command chair and waited.

Below the bridge of the _Vengeance_ Bastila waited in her quarters as she felt the tremors running through the warship as she fought the Sith force and sensed the Force raging as Revan engaged the Sith Lords, while the whole time she was locked into her quarters by HK-47 at Revan's order.

Still confused as to what was going on in Revan's mind now that he had his older memories once again Bastila wanted now more than ever to go to Revan's aid as he put whatever plan he had into action.

Trying for what must have been the hundredth time Bastila reached out to Revan through their bond, only to feel a cool mental barrier that had been erected ever since Revan had woken from the trance.

Bastila looked up at the ceiling of her quarters, "What is going on with you Revan?" she asked aloud, as if expecting the empty room to answer her. But if there were answers in her quarters to be had they remained silent as Bastila felt the steady thrum of the Sith Battlecruiser's engines coming to life.

Revan smiled as the first volleys from the remaining weapons systems that the _Vengeance_ still boast tore through the second wave of assault ships, while others lanced into the unshielded hangars of the Destroyers that launched them, starting dozens of small fires on all three ships.

At the same moment that Revan had ordered the firing to commence he had raised the newly repaired shields that had been strengthen by the energy that would have otherwise powered the disabled weapons and activated the engines to pull the mighty warship free of Drall's gravity.

With the first volleys having damaged the Destroyers Revan poured on the fire once again, expanding the damage and tearing new holes in the weaken shields protecting the trio of Destroyers.

One Destroyer's bridge tower exploded violently as the shields protecting it from the hail of weapons fire collapsed, leaving the ship drifting uncontrollably without any command crew to direct the vessel of war.

The remaining pair of Destroyers continued to try in vain to stop the Battlecruiser, even when another's engines fell victim to a concentrated ion cannon volley, they still pounded the escaping warship until it jetted forward into the bright safety of hyperspace.

Revan sat back and enjoyed the solitude of hyperspace as he programmed the destination for his mighty warship.

The Star Forge.

**THE _LEVIATHAN_, GHORMAN SYSTEM**

Canderous Ordo, Admiral of the Sith Fleet and trusted comrade-in-arms of Revan, sat on the bridge of his flagship, the old flagship of both Revan and Malak, the _Leviathan_ as his forces orbited the planet Gorman ready to break the siege around the planet.

Under his command the veteran Mandalorian had a force of twenty five Sith Destroyers, many of which had been part of the original taskforce Canderous had used to capture the planet of Corsin in his first action against the Republic as a Sith Commander.

On the other side of Ghorman waited a large portion of what remained of the Republic Fleet, with nine Cruisers and fourteen Dreadnaughts plus several smaller freighters and corvettes that the Republic had hired to supplement their rapidly diminishing military.

However, despite the fact that he was about to engage in a battle with the Republic Canderous was finding himself distracted by his last communication with Revan.

Ever since the transmission Canderous couldn't help but feel that Revan had changed, especially now that he was being asked to abandon everything Revan had worked so hard to accomplish. Still Canderous trusted Revan's judgment and if he thought that Canderous would be needed at Dxun instead of helping conquer the Republic then he would do as Revan asked.

But until then Canderous intended to make the most out of his chance to hit the Republic, to use his second chance to enjoy the feeling of combat against a worthy foe.

The Admiral of the Sith Fleet looked to his first officer, and the captain of the _Leviathan_, Captain Fell-Ian, "Captain contact the fleet, tell them to move into Claw Formation." Fell-Ian complied and soon the Sith Fleet had arrayed itself into a claw formation with four arms of five Destroyers each sweeping back from the base of the formation and the remaining five forming the base, with the _Leviathan_ forming the front of the formation.

Canderous rose from his command chair and walked up to the front of the bridge to watch as the forces of the Republic moved to respond to his advance as he called out again, "Order all fighters to launch and deploy in Snowball Formation." As the Sith fleet moved to engaged the Republic, which was arrayed in a more conventional formation, every squadron of Sith Fighters under Canderous's command gathered themselves in a giant mass within the back swept arms of the Sith Fleet protected from the advancing Republic Fleet by the shields and weapons systems of the Destroyers.

Canderous smiled as the corvettes, freighters, and fighters of the Republic's Fleet rushed forward to try and engage his fighter forces, with the Republic fighters following to finish them off, "All Destroyers are to fire as their targets enter range, base Destroyers go to stand-by to commence with Shield Overlap maneuver on my mark."

Around the _Leviathan_ ruby flashes of lights flew through space to engage the leading elements of the Republic's lighter, more maneuverable craft advanced as they tried to draw his fighters out. As the first volleys reached the formation small fireballs erupted as ships took hits and others detonated from the damage they had taken.

Still despite the losses on the Republic side the number of craft still advancing easily could overwhelm the fire that the Sith Destroyers could send into the void and they continued to roar forward, aiming for the gaps between the Sith warships at the base of the claw formation.

Canderous waited as they drew closer until the lead ships were meters within passing the _Leviathan'_s bow when he spoke, "Execute Shield Overlap."

Instantly where there had been empty space before the advancing Republic craft they found the expanded shields of the five Destroyers forming the base of the claw with all five ships adding their power to create one large shield.

Canderous grinned eagerly as multiple Republic craft slammed into the shield, the number of explosions blinding him from the Republic Fleet in the distance. Even though he couldn't see things with his eyes the _Leviathan_'s sensors were not similarly hindered and Canderous saw the Republic warships nearing firing range, "All ships are to move commence with Claw Strike maneuvers immediately."

Captain Fell-Ian moved to relay the Admiral's orders and quickly the five arms of the formation surged forward as the base slowed, bring the Sith Fleet into a formation that seemed ready to grip the Republic in its deadly hold.

Meanwhile the Republic had prudently ordered their freighters, corvettes, and fighters to withdraw after their heavy losses against the Sith Fleet, with the scattered survivors turning tails and trying to flee with all their speed.

The Admiral of the Sith Fleet smiled, "Cancel Shield Overlap and order our fighters to engage the enemy."

Suddenly the large shield disappeared with each Destroyer protected by their own independent shields, through the once again empty space all the fighters of the Sith Fleet roiled out to pounce on their battered Republic counterparts like angry hornets.

Badly outnumbered and already shaken by their losses, the Republic fighters offered little resistance as the hordes of Sith Fighters tore the survivors apart.

Canderous could only smile as his strategy came together perfectly and checked the tactical display to see the distance from his forces and the Republic Fleet, "Captain release our fighter to engage the Republic Fleet, order them to target shield generators and engines; I want those ships stranded here."

Captain Fell-Ian nodded and relayed the orders, sending the swarm of Sith Fighters rushing toward the Republic Fleet which now was hanging back after the loss of their fighter-craft support.

In the wake of their fighters the Destroyers under Canderous's command followed in the tight claw formation they had moved into, ready to surround and destroy their foes.

Canderous could only smile as the lead Destroyers of the Sith formation began to exchange fire with the Republic Fleet with the arms of the claw formation reaching into space to engulf the Republic Fleet in their deadly grip. Yet even as the first Republic warships blossomed into the brilliant fires of destruction the Admiral of the Sith Fleet felt himself distracted by the uncertainty of the future.

**THE _VENGEANCE_, THE RAKATA SYSTEM**

The brightness of hyperspace shattered in the familiar display as the _Vengeance_ reverted out of hyperspace to reveal the Star Forge sitting in the distance drawing pure energy from the sun of the Rakata system, just as it had the first time that Revan had found the Star Forge with Malak.

Revan shook his head, surprised at how easy his old memories were starting to surface; he could have just as easily been remembering what it had been like to see the Star Forge with Bastila, Carth, and the rest of the crew for the first time now. Revan knew he had his old memories, he could access them and remember the things he done as the Dark Lord of the Sith, but until now he had had to focus on remembering those memories to recall them. Now they were coming unbidden as his mind repaired the previously severed connections with the old memories in his brain.

Revan pushed those thoughts from his mind for the moment as his command chair beeped with an incoming message. Revan pulled the hood of his robe over his head and activated the holoprojector, bringing a small version of Master Guan to life on the deck in front of the chair, "Lord Revan this is an unexpected surprise, but it is good you have come. I have much to tell you my Lord, it appears that Carth Onasi, Mission Vao, and the Wookiee Zaalbar, your former shipmates, have not only allied themselves with the Rakatan, but they have found new allies in the form of other Rakatan with more advanced weaponry from the other side of the planet and have succeed in driving our forces from the surface. They have secured the Temple and their primitive jet-propelled fighters have been able to keep us from landing on the planet surface so far." Valen's face turned very eager, "However, now that you have come with your flagship my Lord we can wipe these creatures from the galaxy once and for all."

Revan kept his face hidden in the shadow of his hood as he replied, "We shall see Master Guan, first the _Vengeance_ has taken some damage in battle and she will need to be repaired before I can take into battle again, so if you'll lower the shield I will bring her in to dock so that repairs can begin immediately."

The hologram of Valen Guan's image froze for a moment and Revan knew that the Sith Master had put the transmission on hold as he responded to another message; Revan tensed, he had hoped that the disarray he'd left in the Drall system would prevent the surviving pair of Sith Destroyers from alerting the rest of the Empire to his actions, but apparently the discipline that had been instilled in the Sith Fleet was harder t break.

Valen's image unfroze and from the expression on his face Revan knew that the game was up, "By the order of the Sith Empire I order you to stand down and surrender the _Vengeance_ or we will be forced to destroy you."

Revan sighed and ended the transmission, seeing as there was nothing to be gained in more useless banter with the Sith Master. Revan typed in a command that would slowly bring the Battlecruiser just outside the weapons range of the massive space station and then place the engines on stand-by until Revan ordered otherwise.

Then the ex-Dark Lord rose from his seat and took the private turbolift to his quarters where HK-47 stood waiting. When Revan emerged from the turbolift the black assassin droid faced its Master with something approaching the droid equivalent of anger, "Frustrated Statement: MASTER! You told me that I would get to blast more meatbags by guarding your female Jedi, but even when the intruder alert went off on the ship no one tried to enter your quarters I simply sat here while they were driven away."

Revan smiled slightly as he approached the droid, "Don't worry HK I have a new objective for you, I will be sending Bastila down to the planet surface in the _Ebon Hawk_ and I am not sure how those who control the planet will greet her, I want you to take your personal fighter and escort her until she has landed and then remain with her until I tell you otherwise."

HK-47's mechanical eyes dimmed slightly, "Resigned Statement: As you wish Master, though I am saddened that you are using my considerable skills to safeguard this female Jedi I am managing to remain loyal in the hope that I will be given the opportunity to use my skills without holding back."

Revan shook his head slightly, "Of course HK-47, now go my quarters and take my personal footlocker and load it onto the _Ebon Hawk_ then my fighter and your own, and then wait for Bastila and myself to join you." Without another word HK-47 marched off and disappeared into the turbolift as Revan paused to gather himself before opening Bastila's door.

_I can only hope that she can understand what I am going to say_. Without another moment Revan unlocked the door and stepped into Bastila's quarters, where she sat on her bed calmly.

When the door opened the auburn haired woman looked up and smiled slightly, "I thought I had felt you coming here, I'm glad that you haven't blocked my so completely that I can't even tell that much."

Revan pulled his hood back and smile soberly, "I'm sorry too Bastila, but I can't risk any harm coming to you by knowing what has been unlocked in my mind since my old memories have been unlocked." Revan paused for a moment to take a breath and then continued, "That's not what I'm coming to talk to you about though,"

Bastila spoke first, "You're asking me to leave."

Revan nodded slowly, "I want you to take the _Ebon Hawk_ to the surface and find Carth, Mission, and Zaalbar, you'll be safe there until finish with things here; then I'll return to the planet to see you."

Bastila looked into his gray eyes, her fear clear as crystal in her eyes, "What are you going to do?"

Revan set a hand on her shoulder, "It is not important, it is what the Force needs me to do, just as I need to be sure that you will survive to help the Republic recover the hell that I've put it through."

Bastila stayed silent for a few seconds as she looked deeply into Revan's eyes, Revan eve went as far as to open up their bond slightly, letting her see his sincerity without seeing his plans, "You won't tell what you are doing, but I will do as you ask Revan, if only so that when this is over you will be able to show me everything that that is troubling you so much."

The brown haired man patted the woman's shoulder, "I can not wait for that day Bastila, thank you."

Without another word both other them entered the turbolift and departed to their respective vessels, Revan to his black and red fighter and Bastila to the black and red _Ebon Hawk_.

Revan watched as the _Ebon Hawk_ flew out of the hangar with HK-47's copper fighter following closely, and let out a slight sigh of relief, now at least he knew that Bastila would be out of harm's way if things didn't go as he had planned.

Revan rolled his shoulders in around inside the confines of his fighter as he ran through the start up procedures that would bring the heavily modified ship to life.

Finally with one last deep breath Revan fired the fighter's engines and channeled power to the repulsorlifts, raising the black and red fighter two meters off the deck. Revan pushed the throttle forward as he raised the landing struts and rocketed out of the hangar as he put all of it power into the engines.

Revan plotted a direct course for the Star Forge and quickly entered into the space station's weapons and sensor range, an alarm rang through the cockpit of his fighter as he was hit with sensor scans then the sensor system reported that the Star Forge had deployed the trio of Sith Fighter squadrons that Revan had given to Master Guan to use to aide in his campaign against the Rakatans. Revan tossed his head to throw his robe's hood back and tightened his grip on the fighter's controls as he prepared himself to engage in combat.

The fighters came on to engage Revan by squadrons, while those not engaged held back to box the ex-Dark Lord in. Revan took a calmly breath and drew on the Force letting it guide his hands as he dove into the first wave of Sith Fighters.

Revan saw the lead fighter enter his crosshairs and fired two bursts of crimson laser fire and saw the gray fighter explode as he rolled away from a group of four fighters that attacked from below. Then Revan fell into an almost trance-like state as he engaged his foes.

Revan sent hid fighter into rolls and flips and fired and dove almost without conscious thought, reacting more on instinct through the Force than anything else. Revan took another breath and four more fighters were expanding balls of burning gas, then soon after the rest of the squadron went up in flaming debris as Revan dove through the last explosions.

While he was inside the explosion Revan quickly activated one of the unique systems he had installed on his fighter and when he emerged from the other side of the fireball his fighter was invisible against the blackness of space.

Revan smiled as the remaining twenty-four Sith Fighters swarmed about in confusion as they tried to determine if Revan had died in the explosion, allowing Revan to weave his way into the middle of both squadrons and reach out with the Force to touch their minds. Revan was relieved to find that none of the pilots were Force trained and quickly planted the idea in the minds of each squadron that the other squadron was being led by Revan and was their enemy.

The suggestion took hold just as Revan cleared both formations and the space behind him came alive with ruby energy bolts as both squadrons tried their best to eliminate each other. In the confusion Revan flew past the many defensive batteries of the Star Forge and landed in one of the lower hangars, in the same one that Admiral Dodanna and Master Vandar had used to infiltrate the Star Forge before.

The damage that had been caused when the Republic had escaped before had been repaired, removing any signs of the carbon scoring that had once covered the decking and walls. However, those repairs did nothing to hide the pure Dark Side energy that coursed through very walls of the Star Forge that seemed to pulse around him as he entered the hangar.

Revan landed his fighter and voice locked the fighter so only he could use it; as additional protection Revan activated the self-destruct mechanism so that if someone tried to slice through the security the ship would detonate.

With a hiss of pressurized the cockpit opened and Revan quietly jumped down to the deck and jogged over to the turbolift, fighting back the painful memories that assaulted him, both from his old memories when he had come to this station for a tool to conquer the Republic and his more recent memories as he had boarded the Star Forge to confront Malak.

The turbolift door opened and Revan stepped in preparing himself for what he needed to do to accomplish his goal.

Destroy the Star Forge.

_Author's Note: Well there's Chapter 21. I hope everyone like the combat sequences and Canderous' cameo appearance. Everything is quickly drawing to a close for Revan as he begins to reach the endgame of his strategy. Well, once again thank you from reading, all your reviews thus far, and please continue review if you have any questions._


	22. Déjà Vu

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.**

Chapter 22: Déjà Vu

Bastila watched on the _Ebon Hawk_'s sensor screen as Revan's fighter flew straight into the teeth of the first of three squadrons of Sith Fighters and outside the viewport she could see the distant explosions as fighters detonated from Revan's attacks. Bastila turned her attention back to the sensor screen when Revan's fighter disappeared suddenly from the screen.

Bastila felt her heart stop as she reached out through their bond in the hope of feeling something, even the solid, emotionless wall that Revan had erected between them. Just as she reached the wall that Revan had encased his mind in Bastila received a faint feeling of confidence from the ex-Dark Lord and the mental picture of his fighter disappearing from view.

Bastila sighed deeply and leaned back into the pilots chair of the battered _Ebon Hawk_, Revan had engaged a cloaking device to evade the Sith and was able to use the explosions from the battle to hide his disappearance.

Bastila was brought back from her thoughts with a sudden jolt as the black and red freighter hit the outer reaches of Rakata's atmosphere, reminding the young woman that she needed to concentrate on her flying as she had never been a very accomplished pilot.

On her left side HK-47 pulled its fighter up and remained in the clouds above her as she continued to descent into the planet's atmosphere.

Soft waves of clouds broke over the _Hawk_'s cockpit viewport before they finally broke to reveal the black pillar of the Rakatan Temple rising in the distance.

Bastila shuddered as the painful memories that accompanied that Temple surfaced in her mind, her being tortured by Darth Malak, breaking and falling to the Dark Side, facing Revan, Jolee, and Juhunai on the Temple landing pad, and convincing Revan to turn to the Dark Side once again.

Bastila's thoughts were shattered as the _Hawk_'s sensors wailed at her in alarm, indicating that something or someone had a weapons lock on the freighter. Bastila flipped several switches frantically and brought the modified freighter's shields up, while checking the sensor screen for the source of the attackers.

A pair of sensor blips roared in at the aft quarter of the _Hawk_, though their sensor profiles didn't match anything in the freighter's computer as a target; still their hostile intent was clear as two missiles shot forward.

Bastila hissed under her breath and put the _Hawk_ in a barrel roll as quickly as the planet's atmosphere would allow as the black and red freighter shook from the impact of the first missile.

The second missile flew under the belly of the maneuvering freighter, its orange tail marking its passage, while the missile lock alarms continued to wail with the appearance of two more sensor blips that fired their missile at maximum range.

As the missile cleared the _Hawk_'s blocky bow its simple computer registered that it would be unable to reach it target before all of its fuel was consumed and detonated.

Bastila winced as she flew through the expanding fireball, giving her a momentary pause from the nearly constant throbbing of the alarms when the missiles lost their lock for a moment. When she emerged from the fireball the wail of the alarms returned with a renewed vigor as another pair of foes joined the battle, bringing the total combatants facing the battered freighter to six.

A deafening roar filled the cockpit as two of her foes flew by over the top of the cockpit, ruby bolts pursuing them as HK-47's heavily modified Sith Fighter raced after them.

Bastila finally was able to look at her foes and puzzlement filled her mind as she saw the primitive fighters rolling through the sky using ancient jet propulsion technology. The trailing fighter tumbled from the sky, fire lancing it from HK's attacks, when a familiar voice emerged from the _Hawk_'s communications system, "_Ebon Hawk_ this is Republic Captain Carth Onasi, please call off your unidentified escort off its attack on our fighters and we will allow you to land on the Temple's primary landing pad."

Bastila gave a slight start at hearing Carth's voice, but she pushed it aside and keyed her comm. to HK-47's frequency, "HK-47 stand down from your attack and remain on station until I tell you otherwise."

HK-47's voice emerged quickly from the speakers, "Annoyed Statement: I was told to protect you Jedi and I can not do that if you interfere."

Bastila's voice emerged as cool as liquid methane, "Do as ordered HK-47."

Without another comment HK's fighter pulled away and returned to clouds above the freighter as the surviving five primitive fighters continued to follow the _Hawk_ at a safe distance.

After checking that the fighters were not trying to line her up for a shot she responded, "You have a strange way of welcoming visitors Captain."

Carth's voice returned surprised, "Bastila, what are you doing here? I'm sorry you were attacked, we had been repelling attempts by the Sith to invade the planet and everyone is jumpy; so when you arrived in the _Hawk_ with Sith colors the pilots reacted as they had been commanded."

Bastila sighed, "I understand Captain; it sounds like things have changed around here since my last visit we'll have to bring each other up-to-date when I land."

The Republic Captain's voice grew more harsh as Bastila began to cross over the shores of the Temple Island, where a fleet of ancient-style warships bobbed in the blue water, "I do I know I can trust you Bastila? The last time I saw you, you and Revan were coming back as the new Sith duo to defeat Malak and since Revan returned to the planet I'm guessing that he won." Carth paused for a moment before he continued, "Which means the Sith won the battle since we haven't seen the Star Forge explode."

Bastila's reply cam with a heavy heart as she began to lower the _Hawk_ onto the Temple's primary landing pad, "I'll explain everything once I've landed Carth, things have really changed since we last spoke to each other."

Carth's voice emerged doubtfully, "We'll see."

Bastila sighed as she lowered the black and red freighter's landing struts and only winced slightly when she finally made contact with the ancient stone landing pad. Bastila powered down the _Hawk_'s various systems as the Temple doors opened to reveal Carth standing in the doorway in a navy colored armor of some alien design, with his two blaster pistols hanging from his hips, with Mission and Zaalbar at his sides in the same armor as well.

Bastila smiled faintly as she rose from the pilot's chair and started from the landing ramp as her hand fell on her lightsaber. When she reached the top of the boarding ramp she unclipped it and stared down at the silver cylinder until T3-M4, who had remained hidden in the engineering room during the flight, rolled up and looked at her through its single blue photoreceptor.

With a sigh Bastila patted T3 on his circular head, "T3 can you keep this safe for me?"

The silver astromech droid beeped an affirmative in response and a storage compartment opened on the top of its head.

Bastila smiled her thanks and slipped the lightsaber inside the compartment and rose to her feet as T3 closed the compartment, hiding and protecting her lightsaber as she lower the landing ramp.

A gentle breeze rolled up the ramp, bringing the faint scent of rotting meat to Bastila's nose along with the bitter fragrance of native flowers to Rakata. The young woman to a breath and composed her face as she walked down the ramp, with T3 at her side, toward Carth, Mission, and Zaalbar.

Mission's face broke into a smile when she saw Bastila, but a firm hand from Zaalbar kept the young Twi'lek from rushing forward as Carth lead the trio and stopped well short of arm's reach of Bastila.

Bastila returned Mission's smile then met Carth's steely gaze as the veteran warrior held his arms across his chest, "It's good to see you all again."

Carth's eyes narrowed slightly as Mission replied quickly, "It's good to see you too Bastila, where's Revan? Did you guys beat the Sith with your disguises?"

Bastila frowned slowly, "We haven't beat the Sith yet Mission, but we will; Revan's up there right now fighting them."

Finally Carth spoke, cutting off Mission before she could reply, "He might be fighting, but whose side is he on?" Carth let his arms fall to his sides so they were closer to his blasters, "Whose side are you on?"

Bastila returned her attention to Carth, "Both Revan and I are fighting for the good of the Republic Carth; you don't know what happened in that battle after we left to go fight Malak."

Carth gave Bastila a skeptical look, "I'm sure you are, but fighting for the good of the Republic and fighting for the Republic can be very different things; Revan and Malak proved that very well."

Bastila sighed, "I understand that your hurt Carth, you feel betrayed by Revan and I because of our actions. We fell to the Dark Side and we blinded by our ambition, but through the will of the Force we have returned to the Light once again."

Carth's face remained as emotionless as stone as he responded, "Prove it."

Bastila nodded once, "Very well, first let me tell you what has happened over the last few months. After Revan and I had reached the Command Deck on the Star Forge he went to face Malak, while I remained to aid the Sith with my Battle Meditation…"

**COMMAND DECK, STAR FORGE**

On the Command Deck of the Star Forge Sith Master Valen Guan paced nervously as the six surviving Sith Fighters of the thirty-six he had launched slowly searched the debris field for any sign that Revan's fighter had been destroyed.

Despite the fact that Revan had disappeared into a fireball and hadn't emerged Valen didn't believe that Revan was dead, it had to have been Revan who had made the surviving fighters turn on each other destroying eighteen addition Sith Fighters besides the dozen that Revan had destroyed; only by sending a short, loud burst of static had they been able to break the mind trick that Revan had used on his pilots to make them turn on each other. Now Revan had disappeared and Valen was afraid that Revan was far from dead-

An alarm suddenly echoed through Command Deck as another faceless Sith Trooper called out in alarm, "We have an intruder in the Pylon 2, Deck 42! He was using Turbolift 4 so we reversed it, but he's escaped. It looks like he's a Jedi!"

Valen spun to face the Trooper and started toward his station to take a look when he felt a Force presence suddenly appear with such force that it nearly knocked the Sith Master to his knees. The other officers looked at the Sith Master cautiously until he calmed. Sweat ran down the bald man's face and dripped off him like blood as a single word emerged from his mouth at a whisper, "Revan…" Valen turned to face the rest of the crew on the Command Deck and gulped before he started shouting orders.

**PYLON 2, STAR FORGE**

Revan had been making good time up the turbolift when the ancient station's intruder alarms started blaring and the turbolift came to a sudden, screeching stop.

Revan had his lightsaber in his hand and ready to activate before the lift had fully settled. No sooner had the turbolift allowed then it started again, going downward as fast as the old system could move.

The _snap-hiss_ of Revan's lightsaber bathed the turbolift in silvery light as he made three quick cuts in the ceiling and used a gentle Force Push to clear the opening. The howling wind quickly cooled the glowing hole and Revan drew on the Force and leapt skyward in a mighty Force-assisted jump.

The turbolift continued to screech as it flew down into the depths of the Star Forge, while Revan appeared to be hovering in the air before he began to fall after the turbolift as well.

Without a moments hesitation Revan stopped hiding his Force presence, with his element of secrecy gone he would need every bit of his power and skill in the Force now that his former subordinates knew of his presence.

Revan reached out through the Force and began pushing and pulling on the wall as his body descended down the long, dark turbolift shaft until he spotted a set of doors below him.

The ex-Dark Lord landed lightly on the lip of the door way and quickly cut an opening that he could dive through. As the cut metal fell away Revan flipped back till his feet hit the far wall, leaving Revan standing perpendicular to the shaft for a split second before he made another Force Jump through the opening he's cut, his cloak flapping behind him.

Revan cleared the doorway and tucked himself into a roll as he landed and finally came back to his feet, the ringing of the alarms still blaring in the background, with his lightsaber held ready at his side.

When no threat was revealed Revan deactivated his silver blade and made his way to the central shaft that ran the length of the every pylon of the Star Forge with a slowly spiraling walkway running its outer edge.

The door to the central shaft was opening when Revan reached it and he quickly found the reason standing in the doorway, four HK-Alphas waited for him with Double-Bladed Vibroswords humming in their hands while wicked-looking blaster rifles hanging on their backs.

Revan nodded as he stepped into the hallway, _I see that Valen couldn't resist making some upgrades to the Alphas,_ a grim smirk found its way to his lips, _I guess that makes them Betas._

All four droid heads, resembling HK-47's only thinner, focused on his form when Revan stepped into the hallway, the front two rushing forward with their blades whirring through the air to attack him while the other two drew their blaster rifles and began to take aim at Revan distant figure.

Revan reacted quickly, knowing the danger of taking on droid's with HK-47's dueling programs when they were at full speed, bringing his lightsaber ready before him as its silvery blade extended to intercept the leading blade of the first Beta's attack.

Revan felt a tremor run up his arm from the impact, even though he only held his blade there for seconds, as he leapt into the air while pushing a wall of Force energy at the two droids.

Both Betas fell backwards with loud crashes as they hit the deck, while Revan flew over them when the other two Betas fired their blaster rifles sending scarlet bolts of energy toward him.

The ex-Dark Lord batted the weapons fire out of the air effortlessly, charring small spots on the armor of the left Beta as both tracked him to fire again. Revan landed softly as on the deck behind the two Betas he'd knocked over; then stabbed blindly behind him, impaling on of the Betas who had been the first to rise after Revan's Force attack.

The other sword wielding Beta spun its Double-Bladed weapon in a blur as it rushed Revan, now that the redeemed Jedi's lightsaber was buried in the sparking form of the other Beta.

Revan pulled his lightsaber free to face the charging Beta, but the remaining two opened fire with a deadly fusillade of ruby bolts, forcing the embattled man to turn his attention to blocking the blaster bolts with his lightsaber; which meant he had to deal with the charging Beta a different way.

With his right hand moving the silver lightsaber at a blur while Revan maneuvered his body to dodge what he couldn't block he stretched out his left hand and gripped the last Beta in powerful Force Grip. The droid slowed, but its strong servomotors refused to stop its forward momentum.

Without paused Revan clenched his fist and both of the droid's arms bent inwards, rendering them useless, while the motionless hand still gripped the Vibrosword at its side.

Using the droid's remaining momentum to help him Revan pulled the crippled droid forward, continuing its line of movement toward Revan's back.

As the other two Betas continued to pour blaster fire at the dodging and weaving Revan as he ran sideways up the circular wall of the hallway as the Force thrown Beta flew under his head and crashed into the right Beta, sending both over the railing and down the long central shaft.

The final Beta swung its rifle to face Revan as the ex-Dark Lord jumped directly at the droid from the ceiling, his lightsaber trailing behind him.

The droid fired one shot that went low, but Revan swung his lightsaber down and deflected it back to shatter the droid's right photoreceptor and continued his swing until he released his lightsaber, throwing it like a javelin into the middle of the Beta's head.

Revan landed beside the motionless Beta, retrieving his dormant lightsaber from where it had fallen beside the sparking hole in the droid's narrow head, and calmly walked onto the central shaft's winding walkway as he slowly made his way toward the top of the Star Forge.

**COMMAND DECK, STAR FORGE**

Valen couldn't help but shudder as the visual feed from the last of the four HK-Betas he'd dispatched to kill Revan was cut as Revan's lightsaber plunged into the droid's head.

The dispatcher who had sent the droids to intercept the rogue Dark Lord looked up from the static filled screen at the shaved Sith Master, "What are your orders now my Lord?"

Valen stepped back and rubbed his hands over his face, in what hopefully looked a thoughtful manner, to hide the nervousness his feared was showing on his face. _He can't be stopped, Revan is the most powerful of the Jedi or Sith in the Galaxy, he defeated the power of the Star Forge when Malak was in control! What can be done to defeat him?_

Valen looked down at the dispatcher with an evil smile to hide his uncertainty, "Begin the power up sequence for the Droid Factories to start building more droids and activate every droid we have left on the Star Forge and send them to engage Revan."

The dispatcher nodded and set to his task quickly as Valen paced away from his station, portraying the image of confidence and calm to his subordinates, when his new apprentice, the strongest of the other three survivors who had followed Valen into battle where they had faced Rakatan who wielded the Force, approached his side.

The young man was taller than Valen, but not nearly as powerfully built, yet he had light movements that made deadly in lightsaber duels, a skill highly valued by the Sith; his name was one that Valen had given him upon choosing the man as his new apprentice to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies, Malheur which was the word for 'evil' on Valen's home planet of Ylix.

Malheur bowed his ritually scarred and tattooed head with his arms crossed over his simple black robe on his chest, "With your permission Master, I would ask you a question."

Valen nodded as his apprentice, "You may speak my apprentice."

Malheur nodded, "Thank you my Master, I just must ask. Do you truly believe that mere droids can stop someone as powerful as Revan is said to be? Would it not be wise to send all the Dark Jedi and Sith that are on the station to face him?"

The elder Sith Master's eyes narrowed as he responded, "Do you believe me foolish my apprentice? Of course I know that these droids can never hope to stop one such as Revan, but in fighting with the droids we can slow him down enough to gather what is needed to defeat him." Valen turned and faced his apprentice, "Have all of the Force wielders on the station meet me on the Observation Deck below the Command Deck, it is fitting that we will defeat Revan in the same place that he defeated Malak not so long ago." Malheur bowed his head and marched off, leaving Valen to unhook his lightsaber and roll the silver hilt around in his hand as he remember how Revan had nearly killed him with his own blade when he had first met the Dark Lord.

Valen shivered and clipped his lightsaber back to his belt as he felt determination swelling in him, _Revan may have defeat me then, but I've grown stronger since then and with an army of Sith and Dark Jedi at my side even the great Revan will finally fall to my blade!_ An eager smile formed on Valen's lips as the Sith Master turned to watch as the first of the droids, older Jedi-Killer Models that the HK-Alphas and Betas had replaced, he'd sent to attack Revan neared their target.

**CENTRAL SHAFT, STAR FORGE**

Revan froze for a moment as he heard the distinct clanging sound that came with metal hitting metal, a sound he remembered dreading when he had last invaded the Star Forge, as it echoed down from above his head. The sound grew louder as the droids that once had made up the bulk of the Star Forge's army came closer to their target.

Revan activated his lightsaber and tossed it straight up as the lead droid crouched to jump forward on its middle leg, driving the silver blade through the droid's head and leaving it as mere scrap on the walkway.

Unaffected by their comrade's death the remaining Jedi-Killer Droids, now numbering five, leapt over the destroyed droid to reach their target. The droids completed their circle around the central shaft's walkway to where Revan had been standing when it attacked the first droid. The five JKs rotated their head as they searched for their quarry, one started to speak in the ancient Rakatan language they'd been programmed to communicate in when a rod of silver light emerged from its chest.

Revan cut his lightsaber free of the droid as the other four dropped in their attack crouch, bringing their heavily armed weapons arms up to target Revan as he rushed toward them.

Knowing the danger of facing the firepower that the Jedi-Killers possessed Revan used the Force to push his body beyond the speed it could normally move; becoming a blur a death as he sliced his way through all four droids before they had even had time to fire at his blurring form. Revan came to a stop as the final droid collapsed in a pile of sparking parts.

Revan started to return his lightsaber to his belt when he heard the sound of more droids approaching, from below him and above him, as well as the telling hum of repulsors as more droids flew down the center of the shaft.

He started to fall in a defensive lightsaber stance to face his new foes, but quickly shook his head and returned it to his belt, _Fighting through hordes of droids will take too long and time is one thing I don't have an infinite supply of._ Facing the railing with his back to the wall of the central shaft Revan waited until the first of the repulsors powered droids appeared, their blaster cannons pivoting to fire at him.

Without hesitation Revan exploded forward and jumped at the nearest droid, using the Force to stick him on his target as he turned to leap to the next droid, then the next and the next as Revan moved from droid to droid up the shaft using the very droids sent to kill him as platforms to help him escape.

It only took the droids a few moments to figure out what he was doing and soon crimson bolts were filling the sky and Revan was forced to land back on the walkway to defend himself, but by then he was nearly to the Main Factory of the Star Forge, where the three pylons met the spherical body of the ancient space station.

The swarm of hovering battle droids hummed through the air as they followed their elusive prey, while the droids that had been charging down the walkway to reach him slid to a stop and started scrambling back up the metal slope to reach their target.

Revan weaved his lightsaber through the air reflecting red blaster bolts back at the hovering droids as he slowly moved up the walkway toward the top of the Star Forge.

Explosions winked into existence in the swarm of droids as the reflected blaster bolts hit their targets, but for every one that Revan destroyed two more rose to take its place as the Star Forge droid factories rumbled to life to overwhelm Revan in a wave of droids.

A hiss of pain emerged from Revan's lips as a bolt graced the side of his calf, burning the robe he had over it and blistering the skin beneath it, but the ex-Dark Lord pushed the pain away through the Force as he blocked another trio of bolts aimed at his head.

In exasperation Revan reached out with his left hand and made a fist, using the force to grip the nearest droids and slammed them into the central shaft's wall with enough force to cause them to detonate, raining debris on the walkway that Revan had just walked up.

Without pausing Revan reached out again, this time he drew deeper on the Force sending blue Force Lightning that lanced from droid to droid in a brilliant display that illuminated the entire central shaft for a few brief moments; when the light faded the entire swarm of droids were tumbling from the air like deadly hail.

Revan turned and rushed up the walkway as the sound of more droids marching up the walkway below echoed toward him.

**TEMPLE ISLAND, RAKATA SYSTEM**

Bastila looked from Carth to Mission to Zaalbar and then back to Carth, hoping that they believed her, that they would see how Revan and her had returned to the Light. Mission already seemed ready to accept Bastila back in, which meant Zaalbar would likely as well, but as always the hold out was Carth. The veteran pilot watched Bastila through emotionless brown, judging her story and her as well.

Bastila faced the scrutiny without flinching, she had always known that she would need to face those she had hurt because of her weakness and now she was ready to face Carth, as well as face what she had done.

After a wait that seemed like it took forever Carth spoke, his voice slow and deliberate, "It may take some time for me to completely forgive you Bastila, but if the Jedi Council truly pardoned you of your crimes then I suppose I can as well." Carth crossed his arms as he frowned, "As for Revan, I would trust him yet, you said that he's turned back to be redeemed, but he still hasn't renounced the title of Dark Lord of the Sith or surrendered himself to the Jedi for judgment, that doesn't sound like a man ready to turn back to the Light."

Bastila nodded her understanding, "I understand your caution Carth, but you will see that everything is true when Revan arrives."

Carth's eyes narrowed, "And what is Revan doing before he comes here?"

Bastila pointed to the distant form of the Star Forge in the Rakata home planet's blue sky, "I don't know exactly what he's doing, but he's on the Star Forge," Bastila felt a strong burst of power through the Force and she looked up at the distant space station, "and I think he's fighting for his life up there."

_Author's Note: That's makes Chapter 22, which I think is one of the most action packed chapters I've written in a long time so I hope everyone enjoyed it. As you can see the story is picking up speed as all of the main characters near the climax of the story. Thanks again to everyone who's stayed with me through this **long** process to the very end, I really appreciate it! Same as always, give up the reviews if you've got anything to say._


	23. The Final Showdown

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.**

Chapter 23: The Final Showdown

Sparks emerged from the severed neck of the droid as Revan destroyed the last member of the latest group of droids that attacked him; with a faint whine the destroyed cargo-lifter droid fell to the deck as Revan stepped over the hulk of the second cargo-lifter that had been in this group.

After leaving the central shaft of Pylon 2 the groups of droids that Revan had been facing were incredibly varied, one group had been made up of all HK-Betas, while the next one had been made up of droids so old Revan was surprised they hadn't been scrapped for parts ages ago. But no matter how many droids he cut down, another group rose to confront him; meaning Revan left of trail of scrap behind him wherever he went.

Now that he was out of the central shaft and in the Star Forge's main hull he was facing droids much more frequently with the Main Factories being so much closer, yet even so Revan couldn't help but feel like they were holding back something; when he had faced the Star Forge under Malak's control only the best droids were sent to face him in waves with Sith Troopers and numerous Dark Jedi, with even the occasional Sith Lord to bolster the attacks. While the sudden ease of his incursion allowed Revan the chance to conserve his strength, it also kept him on edge as he waited for some unseen threat to strike out.

Revan's thoughts were interrupted as a pair of blaster bolts burnt through the air toward him as two HK-Alphas clanked forward to engage him.

In a motion that had nearly become repetitive, Revan's lightsaber emerged with a _snap-hiss_ as he easily batted the attacks out of the air and redirected them into the head of the left Alpha, dropping the copper battle droid with a spasm of sparking droid parts.

Unfazed by its comrade's death, the remaining Alpha triggered another trio of bolts at Revan's midsection, as the Jedi charged forward. In a flowing display of swordsmanship Revan spun his silver blade in two large infinity loops that reflected the bolts back to hit the Alpha in the chest and both shoulders while the lightsaber carved down the droid's midline as it completed the second infinity.

Revan stepped past the droid as it collapsed to the deck, his lightsaber again dormant in his hand, as he continued his steady progress through the heart of the Star Forge.

**COMMAND DECK, STAR FORGE**

Valen ran a gloved hand over his shaved head as he watched Revan steady carve a path of destruction through any droids in his way as he steadily moved up toward the top of the Star Forge.

A smile formed on Valen's lips, but he had no idea what awaited him on the Observation Deck, one deck below Valen's feet.

Gathered together to face and defeat the ex-Dark Lord, Valen's apprentice, Malheur, had brought every remaining Dark Jedi and Sith Lord still on board the Star Forge to combine forces and defeat Revan for good.

Now twelve of the most powerful Sith in the galaxy were ready to face Revan in the same place where he had defeat Darth Malak during his last invasion of the Star Forge.

_Revan may have emerged victorious the last time he fought on the Star Forge, but things will be different this time,_ he crossed his gloved hands behind his back, his smile turning to one of eager anticipation, _this time the famous, all-powerful Revan will fall to the blades of those he betrayed._

**WAR ROOM, STAR FORGE**

The door of the turbolift slid open with the hiss of hydraulics as Revan stepped into the War Room where he and Bastila had fought against the potential apprentices of Darth Malak and where Bastila had overseen the battle against the Republic with her Battle Meditation.

Now the War Room was deathly silent, the lights were off and the massive holoprojector in the center of the room was silent, possibly having not been used since the battle with the Republic, there was not even a single droid to try and impede his progress as the reformed Dark Lord cautiously crossed the shadowy room toward the turbolift that would take him to the Command Deck and his goal.

As he reached the turbolift Revan pushed his senses out as far as they could reach, encompassing several decks above and below him, as he searched for Valen Guan's Force presence.

The turbolift closed behind him and started to ascend, but Valen's presence remained elusive until Revan focused on the decks above him, then he felt the Sith Master's presence, but it came from the Observation Deck, not the Command Deck.

The turbolift began to slow early and then Revan felt twelve other Force presences appear around Valen's as other Force users tapped into the Force around them; the turbolift door open slowly as Revan felt the darkness oozing from the dozen Force presences standing on both levels of the Observation Deck where Revan had once faced Malak in combat.

Calmly stepping onto the Observation Deck Revan scanned the thirteen Dark Jedi and Sith Lords that stood waiting for him, Revan now knew this was the hidden threat he had been sensing, six of his foes, the six Dark Lords in the group, stood on the Upper Level of the Observation Deck and while the six Dark Jedi waited with Valen on the Lower Level as the Sith Master stepped in front of the line to be the first to face Revan.

Revan approached the thirteen disciples of the Dark Side, while he focused his senses on the room and it occupants, gauging the strength of his foes.

Revan was slightly surprised to find that Valen was the strongest of the thirteen, having grown more powerful since Revan had last visited the Star Forge, if the speed at which he was growing stronger was any indication Valen could possibly become one of the most powerful Sith in just a few more years. That fact, however, did nothing to hide the fact that the other Sith Lords and Dark Jedi with Valen where anything but weak in the Force, even the single figure dressed in the robes of an apprentice would prove a challenge to all the most powerful of the Jedi Order in singular combat.

As he gauged the strengths of his foes Revan began to understand Valen's motivation behind the actions he had taken so far, the Sith Master wanted this fight, he was trapping Revan to that he could destroy him here, and with the turbolift somehow disabled he had succeeded in trapping him at the very least.

Revan's face set itself with determined lines, prepared to make the second part of Valen's intentions much more difficult than he thought.

Still the fact that Valen so obviously wanted to engaged the former Dark Lord made Revan uneasy about engaging Valen on ground of his choosing, but the turbolift he had used to get this far was inactive his choices were limited; the only remaining turbolift was a small private lift that Revan had installed during his limited stay aboard the Star Forge before venturing out to conquer the Republic, which was a direct line to the private quarters Revan had built on the Command Deck for himself.

Once he was able to pass the thirteen Sith that were prepared to stop him.

Valen smiled as Revan approached the group, a smile Revan remembered wearing as the Dark Lord of the Sith whenever he had faced a Jedi, or another Sith, in combat; a nearly sickening eagerness to destroy life that Revan had once relished in not so long ago.

Finally Valen spoke, shattering the silence that hung over the Observation Deck, "Well, Revan it seems that you have come to the final stage of your journey again in the heart of the Star Forge, just as before." Valen readied his lightsaber, as the other dozen followed in suit, "However, today Revan you will learn the folly of turning your back on the Dark Side that gave you your true power and allowed you to built the mighty Sith Empire that rose from the scraps of the Republic's massive failure during the Mandalorian Wars; an empire that will rule the galaxy long after your pitiful attempt to destroy it has been crushed!"

Revan expression hardened till it appeared to be carved of stone as he calmly replied, his unwavering surety in his actions and choices nibbling away at the confidence of every other being in the room, "The Dark Side and the Sith Empire that I created are doomed to fail as always, to try to do otherwise is foolishness Valen. Having the amount of power that the Sith have gathered and focused destabilizes the galaxy and the will of the Force is to stabilize all the galaxy, it will always bring new opponents to bring down what opposes its will." Revan held his hands out slowly toward the Dark Jedi that faced him, "I am truly sorry for the actions that I took that caused the creation of the Sith Empire that lead to all of your downfalls into the Dark Side, if it were not for me you all would have become great Jedi. However it is not too late to turn back, I am living proof of that. Twice I have fallen into the grips of the Dark Side and twice the will of the Force has brought me back to the Light, it is never too late to fight the seduction of the Dark Side."

Silence gripped all who had heard Revan's words, even Revan himself, until Valen shattered it by igniting his crimson lightsaber, "Stirring words Revan, but no stirring words or eloquent speeches will rob us of our rightful place as the rulers of the galaxy; your death will only serve to aide us in our quest toward that goal!"

Even as the words echoed out of Valen's mouth, the Dark Jedi Master flipped through the air toward his target, while the hiss of his fellows' lightsabers sounded off, bathing the Observation Deck in a mixture of red, violet, and yellow hues.

Revan sighed heavily as his hand tightened around his comfortable lightsaber grip, the silver blade jumping to life as his thumb pressed the activation pad.

Giving himself over to the flow of the Force Revan moved without any conscious thought, his left hand rose and a powerful Force Push sent Valen's airborne figure tumbling back from where he came, as two masked Dark Jedi wielding a yellow and violet lightsaber attacked the former Dark Lord.

With an incredibly violent force Revan parried both Dark Jedi's attacks, following the parry with a vicious kick to the wielder of the yellow lightsaber's midsection; the man doubled over from the impact, then released a blood-curdling scream as Revan humming blade severed his hand as the skilled swordsman spun his lightsaber to disengage his silver blade. As the Sith's scream faded his eyes rolled back in his head, the darkness of unconsciousness claiming him for the time being.

Three more Dark Jedi rushed up to attack the ex-Dark Lord reminding Revan that if he remained in one place for too long his foes superior numbers would allow them to overwhelm him.

The newly arriving Dark Jedi swung their blades at different angles, in the hopes of scoring a hit, when Revan leapt into the air, pitching his legs over his body as he spun his lightsaber below to block the lightsabers seeking to hit him.

Landing behind the four Dark Jedi he had been engaged with, Revan dropped his lightsaber over his shoulder to block a blow he felt coming before spinning around and slamming and armored fist into the bent elbow of his attack, numbing the Sith's arm. His attacker gasped in surprise more than pain as his lightsaber fell from his numbed fingers, only to freeze in mid-air as Revan caught it in an invisible fist.

The masked Dark Jedi paled in shock as he vainly grasped for his lightsaber with his other hand, only yell a soundless scream as Revan spun the violet blade in his Force grasp, cleaving the Sith down his midline.

The three remaining Dark Jedi behind him roared in outrage as they charged toward him, their crimson lightsabers humming death as they weaved them through the air, while the six Sith Lords on the Observation Deck's Upper Level rushed down to engage him.

Revan cast a quick glance at where Valen had fallen and saw the Sith Master and the apprentice, presumably Valen's, hanging back as they waited for the best moment to strike.

Trusting completely in his senses Revan plucked the still spinning violet lightsaber out of the air and turned to face the three Sith charging him from behind, aiming to eliminate them before their other six brethren joined the fight.

Without any conscious thought Revan fell into a combat stance that he had never learned after his capture by the Jedi, but from the depths of his old memories floated forth a name for the stance, _Jar'Kai_; a deadly form of lightsaber combat that capitalized on fighting with two lightsabers.

Revan's movements became a blur as he pushed beyond the movements of a normal human could obtain, accelerated by the Force as the ex-Dark Lord rushed to meet the charging Dark Jedi.

His lightsabers violet and silver blurs in his hands, Revan lashed out with movements so fast and seemingly at random that even the precognition that the Force granted its users failed the Dark Jedi that faced him. Before his foes had fully realized he was close enough to engage them Revan's two blades had struck his first target with a series of quick, short cuts on the Dark Jedi's throat, wrists, and knees, dropping him before he even had a chance to cry out in pain.

Without slowly his speed Revan spun to face his next opponent, the Dark Jedi's ruby blade trying desperately to block the humming lightsaber blades as they struck out in perfect synchronization with each other.

Seeing his comrade's peril the other Dark Jedi attempted to distract the Revan by attacking him from the side, but the violet lightsaber in the reformed Dark Lord's left hand deflected the attack, knocked the lightsaber away from his body, and slashed across his chest, leaving a burnt cut from his right side up to a sizzling hole were Revan's blade had found his heart.

The final Dark Jedi leapt back to try and escape Revan's onslaught, but Revan followed him, pressing the fallen Jedi's defenses to the breaking point, until he cried out in fear and dropped his lightsaber as he whimpered in words almost to jittery to understand, "I surrender Revan, please do not kill me!"

Revan's momentum did not slow, but instead he adjusted his attack's movement and brought his hands together on either side of the man's head, leaving his unconscious form to crumple to the deck with what sounded like a sigh of relief.

Sensing he had a few moments before the other six Sith Lord reached him Revan turned slowly, bringing both of his lightsabers up in a defense that covered his entire body.

Opposite the waiting Jedi the six Sith Lords slowed to a stop as Valen and his apprentice joined them, again Valen faced off against Revan to spar verbally, "Impressive Revan, you have more of your old self than you let on, a pity such power will be lost upon such foolishness." Valen glanced at the remaining six Sith Lords and nodded, sending the half dozen Sith Lords into a charge at the waiting Revan.

Revan held his place as the Sith Lords rushed to engage him, as the first neared him black robed man raised on hand and fired a bolt of blue Force Lightning at Revan.

Without flinching Revan blocked the attack with his silver lightsaber and simultaneously threw his violet blade like a javelin at his attack. The Sith Lord, blinded by his own attack, failed to see the lightsaber until it sank hilt-deep into his chest; with a gurgling cry he slumped to the ground as his Force Lightning faded away with his life.

Taking advantage of the hesitation that came after the Sith Lord's sudden death Revan charged forward, again using the Force to increase his speed beyond human capabilities. As Revan's blurred form past the fallen Sith Lord he called the lightsaber from the deck where it had rolled after hitting the Sith Lord's chest and activate its violet blade moment before engaging the five remaining Sith Lords.

Violet and silver blurs surrounded Revan as he struck with lightning speed, leaving charred burns on each of his opponents as they struggled to defend against his whirling blades.

Revan paused his attack for a moment as he stabbed both blades behind him, impaling another Sith Lord that tried to attack him from the rear, when the other four blew him back with a combined Force Push.

Revan flew back and landed on the steel deck heavily, the violet lightsaber flying from his hand down the depths of the Star Forge as he hit the ground.

His four foes jumped after him, hoping to hit the redeemed Dark Lord while he was down, their lightsabers aimed to cut his life from his body. Pushing off with the Force Revan flew into the air as the four Sith Lords landed where he had been lying moments ago, as Revan neared the deck again he felt a heavy blow through the Force as a Force Push slammed into him on his right side, knocking his lightsaber from his grip as the blow force his blood out of his arm from the impact.

Revan recovered quickly, rolling with the force of the blow and coming to his feet as the four remaining Sith Lords encircled him, their lightsabers hissing death as they closed in on the unarmed Jedi.

However, Revan was anything but unarmed, drawing more on the Force Revan dropped in a classic hand-to-hand fighting stance, weight on his back leg and his hands held ready to defend himself form any blows.

Revan saw Valen smirk when he saw Revan, a smirk the rest of the Dark Side users soon shared, "You may be powerful Revan, but even you know that it is pointless to fight against a lightsaber with your hands, at least try to retrieve you lightsaber. You'll never reach it before you are cut down, but then you'll die knowing that you didn't make a fool of yourself by trying to block a lightsaber blade with you bare hands."

Revan held his hands ready as he looked at the four Sith Lords that surrounded him while he kept the Force ready to react to anything that might happen.

Valen's expression darkened when Revan didn't move, "Fine you fool, I hope you death is as painful as possible for your stupidity." The Sith Master nodded and both Sith Lords swung their lightsabers, aiming to disable and injury Revan as they were certain that the unarmed man could do nothing to stop their attacks.

The first lightsaber blade, a sulfurous yellow blade, arced in toward Revan's right elbow as its owner smiled at the thought of crippling Revan first.

Unfortunately for him Revan had no intention of becoming crippled, he brought up his right arm's forearm guard and blocked the attack with its cortisis weaved armor. Revan shoved the lightsaber aside, the shocked Sith Lord barely keeping any pressure on the blade, then stretched his left hand out and grasped the Sith Lord it a powerful Force Grip. The man rose off the ground and yelled in pain as the pressure tightened from Revan's Force Grip.

Revan turned as the Sith Lord behind him, seeing Revan was far from helpless and aiming to attack him while he was distracted, stabbed his crimson blade at his back. The reformed Dark Lord dropped to the deck, the lightsaber blade passing over his head, and pulled the Sith Lord he had in his Force Grip toward the attacking Sith Lord. The flying Sith Lord was impaled on the extended lightsaber, his lifeless body's momentum pushed both men over the railing down into the depths of the Star Forge.

The remaining two Sith Lords stabbed their lightsabers down to impale him while he was on the deck, but Revan was expecting such a move and when the Sith Lords stabbed downward they felt their lightsabers slow as the air they tried to pierce thickened to the point that they were stopped completely.

Both Sith Lords snarled as they struggled to push their lightsaber blades through Revan's defense, but instead of gaining headway they were suddenly thrown back as Revan unleashed another wave of Force energy.

The Sith Lords landed with a heavy grunt and Revan was on them instantly; a heavy boot crushed the first Sith Lord's wrist, the bones cracking painfully as his lightsaber rolled away uselessly. The Sith cried out in pain, until Revan's other boot crushed his windpipe under its armored sole.

Faint rasping sound emanated from the Sith Lord's throat as he struggled in vain to draw a breath through his ruined throat, but Revan had already moved to face the last Sith Lord, who held his lightsaber ready before him to face the unarmed man before him.

Having learned to keep Revan at a distance the Sith Lord immediately went on the offensive, forcing Revan to duck and dodge around the violet blade of the Sith's lightsaber.

The Sith Lord unleashed an attack at Revan's right side, which the ex-Dark Lord quickly blocked with his cortisis forearm guards before launching a Force-powered kick to the Sith Lord's midsection. However the Sith Lord rolled away, taking the kick as a glancing blow as he followed through with a downward slash at Revan's head.

In desperation Revan lifted both of his arms to block the blow and pushed against the blade with the Force, hoping to deflect powerful stroke.

He succeeded in deflecting the attack as the blow dug a deep scar in the deck beside Revan.

The Sith Lord drew his blade back to attack again when he suddenly heard the _snap-hiss_ a lightsaber behind him, he threw a glance over his shoulder to find its source as the silvery shaft of light from Revan's fallen lightsaber drove itself through his chest, melting away his heart and lungs.

With a lifeless sigh the Sith Lord fell to the deck, leaving only Valen and his apprentice to face Revan as the reformed Dark Lord retrieved his lightsaber from the Sith Lord's body.

Valen growled through grit teeth as he and his apprentice activated their ruby and orange lightsabers, "Damn you Revan, you have always been to powerful for your own good, but it will do you now good against my apprentice and I, we have trained in the secret arts of the Sith lightsaber duelists, secret information that was contained in the Star Forge that Lord Malak uncovered, information which you have never seen." Valen laughed menacingly as he brought his crimson lightsaber up into a high guard over his shoulder, "And now that you have been tired against my foolish, but obedient, subordinates you will find that even your power will be unable to content with the secrets of the True Sith's lightsaber combat!"

In tandem Valen and his apprentice advanced on Revan, as the redeemed Jedi fell into a steady defensive stance to face the two Sith's attack.

Valen's apprentice attacked first, his orange blade striking so quickly it seemed to come at the same time, with one blow low and the other high on Revan's right side. Revan blocked the low attack with his lightsaber and raised his armored forearm to block the high blow, but before he could counterattack Valen pressed him from his left side with a pair of side-to-side strikes.

Revan yielded ground to his opponents to allow him to face them one at a time, but the walkway he stood on was too wide to force them to face him piecemeal as his earlier opponents had done; instead they seemed to work together perfectly, their two blades forcing Revan to focus all his attention to blocking their blows which always came from such extreme angles that Revan never could retaliate.

As Revan slowly yielded more ground he began to understand that what Valen had said had been correct, despite what he had felt earlier he was tiring, the constant exertion in the battle having taxed his Force abilities as well as his physical abilities to their breaking point. Plus with Valen and his apprentice fresh and using their superior numbers to keep Revan solely on the defensive it would only be a matter of time before they found a gap in his defenses if he couldn't gain some type of advantage to even the odds.

Revan reached out with the Force for one of the fallen Sith Lord's lightsabers to try and even the number of lightsabers he was facing, but Valen's apprentice deflected the flight on the silver cylinder with a gentle nudge through the Force that sent the weapon spiraling down the same shaft that had claimed the first lightsaber Revan had captured to use.

Revan sighed heavily as he blocked another series of attacks that continued to drive him back toward the door of the turbolift that had brought him this far. As he continued to look for opinions Revan tried to open the turbolift to give a possible escape route if he needed it, but the door panel glowed red, indicating that the turbolift was no longer on the level. A desperate look crossed Revan's face, but with it he found new strength that allowed him to hold his ground and even force Valen and his apprentice back a few steps before fatigue again brought Revan to merely fight his foes to a stalemate.

Feeling the inevitability of his defeat closing in on him Revan reached out to Bastila to give her some type of warning, to try and shield her from the shock of their bond being severed by his death, but he sensed nothing from her through their bond; as if she was withdrawn from the Force.

Revan was nearing the last bit of strength he had within himself, his endurance was waning while his opponents weren't even close to tiring out.

Then a single message echoed through his mind along with a surge of strength through the Force, _Hang on, we're coming_.

His mind to focused to locate the source of the message Revan used his renewed strength to battle back against his foes, pushing them to the middle of the walkway when the turbolift door behind him opened to the sound of a humming lightsaber.

The sound of footfalls behind him distracted Revan for a moment and Valen's apprentice struck, his orange blade swinging at Revan's unguarded flank, when a golden lightsaber flew past Revan's shoulder and embedded itself in the man's chest.

Valen looked over at his dead apprentice in shock as the lightsaber's owner call the blade back to their hand.

Her humming lightsaber held ready Bastila rushed up beside Revan's weary form, her lightsaber's golden hue highlights the beads of sweat of Revan's face.

A look of cool confidence covered Bastila's face as she spoke, "If you know what is best for you Sith Lord I would back away before you meet the same fate as your apprentice."

Valen paled slightly as he replied, "What no offer to surrender? It appears that the Jedi are slowly joining the Sith of their own designs, how delicious."

Bastila drew her lightsaber closer to Valen's nervous face, "Do not test me Sith or I'll-"

"Or I'll give a few more things to have to worry about, like dealing with Big Z and me," Mission and Zaalbar came up on Revan's other side, the former person using one hand to steady Revan while she kept her blaster pistol trained on the Sith Master.

Valen started to reply when another gruff voice cut through to interrupt him, "And if that's not enough to make you leave, you can see how you would like to fight your good friends the Rakatan again, I now they would love to pay you back for all the death you caused." On Bastila's side appeared Carth Onasi in the garb of the Leader of the Rakata while behind him waited two of the _Sharakan_ that had so thoroughly routed the Sith on the planet orbiting the star that the Star Forge made its home.

Valen looked over the group that had suddenly appeared around his opponent and began to back up slowly as Revan stood up straighter, "Now you see Valen, that no matter how strong the Dark Side becomes, the Force will always find others to help bring balance to the galaxy; it is the will of the Force."

Valen snarled as he turned away and ran to the Upper Level of the Observation Deck and placed his dormant lightsaber against the transparisteel window, "Lets see if the will of the Force can find a way to stop me from sending us all out into the vacuum!" Valen smiled as everyone froze in their place, powerless to stop him.

Then a ruby blaster bolt hit the Sith Master in the face and dropped him instantly.

A clang of metal on metal echoed behind the group as a mechanical voice emerged, "Annoyed Statement: Oh that was gratifying! I so do find humans who ramble to be so annoying." HK-47 looked at Revan who stood their shaking his head, "Query: Is there a problem Master?"

Revan couldn't help but chuckle, "No problem HK, its just good to see you." Revan looked at everyone standing around him, making eye contact with every member, "It is good to see all of you again."

Carth blew air exasperatedly out of his mouth, "I'm sure you did, but can we save it for after we finish destroying this thing?"

Revan nodded, "I've missed you too Carth, but he's right we need to get to the Command Deck to lower the shields on the Star Forge."

Mission patted Revan on the back, "No worries Revan we deactivated the Star Forge's shields when we boarded it, remember that the power generator is on the Temple on Rakata?"

Revan's blood went cold as the young Twi'lek spoke, "How long ago to you board the Star Forge?"

Carth frowned, "About fifteen, maybe twenty minutes ago, why?"

Revan whirled around and looked out the Observation Deck's main window where the silver hull of the _Vengeance_ was now visible and slowly growing larger; only dread filled Revan's voice when he spoke, "We've got ten fifteen minutes to get off the Star Forge or we all go up in a blaze of glory."

_**Author's Note:** Chapter 23 is done! I sure hope that everyone liked the final showdown fight, that was one of the most complex fights I have ever written and I think it came out great. As you can see the gangs back together now, maybe in the next chapter we'll get to see a little classic Carth-Revan interaction as they make for their escape off the Star Forge._

_Of course, I continue to thank everyone who has reviewed and read my stories, your comments motivate me to keep up my work here and it really makes me smile to think that you all like what I'm doing. Thank you all!_


	24. The Closest Call

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.**

Chapter 24: The Closest Call

Onboard the Sith Battlecruiser _Vengeance_, waiting outside the weapons range of the Star Forge, the massive warship's main computer monitored the ship's sensors as they passively scanned the distant space station. When the sensors detected the protective bubble that enshrouded the Star Forge disappear it triggered a series of commands that had been hardwired into the computer.

Within moments of the Star Forge's shields disappearing the Battlecruiser's powerful array of engines began powering up and her forward weapons aimed themselves at predetermined vectors. As the _Vengeance_ began to move forward the main computer rerouted all remaining energy in the warship, including the energy powering the life support systems, into a select series of shield generators while the rest went into the engines, pushing the mighty ship's already considerable speed to an unheard of level.

Then moments before the communications system lost its power the main computer accessed its databanks and sent a recorded message off toward its preprogrammed destination in the Galactic Core.

As this took place the Sith Battlecruiser continued to accelerate toward its target, the unshielded orbital control station of the Star Forge, as it drove its bulk forward like a massive missile.

**OBSERVATION DECK, STAR FORGE**

For a moment nothing but silence followed Revan's statement until Carth spoke, "Just what are you talking about Revan?"

Revan turned to face Carth when his gaze fell on the unconscious form of the Dark Jedi that he had surrendered to him during his fight against Valen and his followers, Revan looked at Zaalbar quickly, "Zaalbar pick that man up and bring him with us, we need to leave now."

Zaalbar placed his Vibrosword in its sheath on his left side and effortlessly lifted the limp body of the Dark Jedi over his shoulder, when Carth spoke again, "Answer me Revan, what is going to happen to the Star Forge?"

Before answering Revan ushered the group into the turbolift, scooping up the unconscious Dark Jedi's lightsaber as he stepped past it and placing it on his belt, and typed the War Room's level, "Right now my flagship, the _Vengeance_, is accelerating toward the Star Forge at top speed, with every ton of explosives that she carries in her bow to make into five kilometer missile," Revan gulped slightly, "When she hits the Star Forge the station will fall out of its orbit around the Rakata star and be consumed by it."

Mission looked at Revan with a puzzled expression on her face, "But you can order the ship to stop can't you? I mean there someone onboard to pilot it, isn't there?"

Revan shook his head, "The ship is now completely automated by droids and the ship's computer and I can't order it to stop now that's its underway. I wasn't sure if I would be able to send a remote signal to contact the _Vengeance_ after I lowered the shields, so I programmed the main computer to follow my plan once the shields were down; after which the main computer will lock itself down from all outside sources, including anything I might send to it."

Carth rolled his shoulders slightly, "So how long will it take this ship to reach the Star Forge?"

Revan paused for a moment as the turbolift doors opened and he led the group across the War Room to the turbolift on the other side, "I had calculated it taking the _Vengeance_ forty minutes to reach the Star Forge from her position outside the Star Forge's weapons range," Revan glanced at the chrono on his wrist, "That means we've got just under fifteen minutes to get off this station and put some space between us and them or we'll be caught in the blast too."

Carth pulled his pair a blaster pistols from their holsters and checked the power levels on both, "Well in that case lets get ready for some excitement because we've got a ship it catch."

Revan nodded as the group boarded the turbolift, "Did you all come on the _Ebon Hawk_?"

Bastila nodded, "Yes, we landed in one of the top hangars."

Revan stepped back from the turbolift control panel, "Type in the level that you landed on, we'll need the _Hawk_ if we're all going to escape the Star Forge."

Bastila quickly entered the hangar level and the turbolift began to descend into the Star Forge.

Revan looked over the group through gray steady eyes, "We'll have to move quickly, the Sith are still in control of most of the Star Forge's systems from the Command Deck, so they'll be able to coordinate their forces against us once they realize what has happened."

Mission pulled her blaster pistol from its holster and gave it a twirl before catching it and miming targeting with its sights, "No worries Revan, we'll be through with this blasted place before the Sith can say boo."

Bastila nodded grimly, her auburn braids swaying slightly as she unclipped her lightsaber, "Mission is right Revan, together there is nothing the Sith can do to stop us."

Revan felt a smile tugging at his mouth and let its white crescent split his face. He opened his mouth to speak when the turbolift came to a sudden screeching halt, everyone was staggered for a moment as they regained their balance.

For a moment no one spoke until Carth snorted, "Well, I'd say the Sith on the Command Deck know where we are and have hijacked our turbolift." The battle hardened veteran glanced at the level counter where it had frozen, "It looks like we're only a level above the hangar where we landed the _Hawk_ if we hurry we should be able to get there before the Sith mount much of a defense."

Revan nodded as he stretched out his senses till he found the _Ebon Hawk_ and T3-M4 below them. The reformed Dark Lord stepped over to the turbolift doors and held his dormant lightsaber a few centimeters away from it. Without waiting Revan activated his silvery lightsaber with a _snap-hiss_ made all the louder in the confined turbolift, the metal of the doors liquefied under the blade of his lightsaber and small rivers of molten metal ran down the doors before cooling.

The brown haired Jedi adjusted his grip on the lightsaber's hilt then pulled it through the turbolift doors, cutting a hole that nearly included every part of the doors themselves. Revan withdrew his lightsaber as the doors fell away to reveal the black turbolift shaft continuing for what seemed like forever below and above them.

Just across where the turbolift had stopped were the doors to the rest of the level they were stuck on, however the sudden stop had left them stranded in the middle of the turbolift shaft with nothing but air spanning the six meters between the group's turbolift and the closed doors.

Revan looked over his shoulders and his friends and then shot through the hole he'd cut with the grace only those who used the Force could manage and landed on the small lip protruding from the base of the doors.

Trusting in the Force to hold him in place Revan quickly cut through the door and stepped through into the narrow hallway leading to the Central Shaft of the Star Forge. Revan deactivated his lightsaber and stuck his head back out the hole in the doorway and called out to the others in the turbolift, "Alright let's go quickly."

Bastila jumped first, the lithe woman using her own Force abilities to leap through the doorway and land lightly on the deck.

Mission followed, her own head-long dive aided by a gentle cushion of the Force from Revan. Next came Zaalbar with the still unconscious Dark Jedi slung over his shoulders, even so the large Wookiee was able to clear the jump without any help from Revan and landed heavily on the deck.

One of the _Sharakan_ was about to jump as well when an all too familiar sound of metal hitting metal echoed down the corridor, Revan turned and was rushing forward even as the first HK-Alpha came into view.

Revan felt Bastila's concern through their bond, but sent assurance and strength back to her, _Get the others out of the turbolift, I can handle this_.

Then Revan focused his thoughts on the foes before him, four Alphas were in view, but Revan could hear more approaching.

As he charged the droids he raised his hand to knock them aside with a Force Push, but as he unleashed his assault it was deflected away from its target and only slammed into the hallway's wall.

As if to announce the fact that they were here two Dark Jedi activated their lightsabers as they stepped into the hallway while the four Alphas in front of them leveled their blaster rifles on Revan and opened fire.

Silver blade humming through the air, Revan maintained his charge as he batted the opening volley of blaster fire away from his body. Sparks flew as he cut the first Alpha in half sending its powerless heap to the deck as he continued the arc to decapitate two more.

The final Alpha took a step back to place some distance between itself and Revan, but the redeemed Jedi's lightsaber shot forward like a spear and imbedded itself in the droid's chest before its processor had even registered that it was damaged.

Without breaking his stride Revan continued to charge the Dark Jedi, already calling his lightsaber back to his hand as he neared the first of them. The comfortable grip of his lightsaber filled his hand as Revan drove forward in his attack. His opponent blocked the attack that was aimed for his head and deflected the force behind Revan's attack to blunt the ex-Dark Lord's charge.

Revan slowed to a stop and spun to block the attack that the other Dark Jedi aimed at his unguarded back, their two lightsabers crackled when they touch casting pinkish highlights over the faces of the combatants.

Without any conscious thought Revan's empty hand slid to the hilt of the captured Dark Jedi's lightsaber and brought the crimson blade up to block the attack from the other Dark Jedi.

With both of his foes blocked Revan went on the offensive, each hand operating independently in the flowing style of _Jar'Kai_.

As Revan drove his foes back he touched his bond with Bastila to get a sense of how the others were doing.

Bastila's reply was quick, _We're almost done, help is coming._

Revan stole a glance over his shoulder and cried out in shock, in his charge forward to attack his foes he had left the hallway nearly unguarded and now newly arrived HK-Alphas and Betas stood ready to ambush his friends as they emerged from the hallway.

Revan fell to the defensive for a moment against his opponents and sent a message to Bastila, _Droids lie in wait just beyond the hallway, be prepared._

Revan felt Bastila acknowledge his message, but if there was more than that he lost it as he refocused on his fight with the Dark Jedi. In a movement almost to quick to track the crimson lightsaber he held slipped past the defenses of the Dark Jedi he was using it against, cutting the masked figure from groin to throat in one quick move.

As his comrade collapsed the remaining Dark Jedi panicked and turned to flee up the winding walkway rounding the Central Shaft.

Revan started to give chase, both lightsabers ready to end the Dark Jedi's life, but a cry through the air called him back, "Revan hurry!"

Forgetting the fleeing Dark Jedi, Revan rushed to join his friends as they ran past the scrap of the Alphas and Betas that had tried to ambush them.

Revan stepped over the last one as he joined Carth at the rear of the group, Carth gave Revan a looked mixed with gratitude and intrigue, "That was an impressive display Revan, where did you pick up all those new tricks since I last saw you?

Revan took a breathe as the group charged down the winding walkway that ran the edge of the Central Shaft, "I've found a few thing that I had lost from before my memory was damaged, they have unlocked secrets I had discovered in my travels in the Unknown Regions, however," Revan's expression became haunted as he remembered some of the things he had found in those forgotten reaches of space, "there are some things there that are more important than new fighting tricks, things that will need to be dealt with."

Carth started to respond to Revan's odd reply, but before he could the group reached the hangar doors where the _Ebon Hawk_ was docked. Revan made his way to the front of the group with Bastila as the female Jedi opened the hangar door.

Even as the doors began to open Revan had already drawn his lightsaber and blocked the first pair of blaster bolts that flew through the opening door, as the door opened further more blaster fire filled the air, leaving the stench of burnt ozone.

Without pause Bastila joined Revan and began blocking the volleys of blaster fire that were fired at the group, while the others returned fire on their attackers.

Finally Revan took a moment as he cut down a HK-Alpha to let his mind grasp the scope of what they faced. The Hangar was filled with an small army of HK-Alphas with the larger sword wielding Betas scattered through out.

Quickly Revan spoke to Bastila through their bond as he blacked the rain of blaster bolts being fired at them, _We must get to the _Hawk_, you lead everyone forward I'll keep the droids back until were ready to leave._ Bastila nodded a quick affirmative and without warning Revan jetted forward, his two lightsabers slashing and cutting a clean path through the droids in front of them.

Revan advanced ten meters into the horde of droids then he unleashed a savage Force Wave that scattered droids in every direction, leaving a clear path to the _Hawk_ for a brief moment.

Lightsabers still working furiously Revan yelled to his friends, "Go for the _Hawk_ now!"

With Bastila leading and the _Sharakan_ on her flanks the rest of the group surged forward toward the _Hawk_'s lowered landing ramp while Revan darted back and forth along the rear, driving back any droids that tried to attack them.

At the base of the _Hawk_'s landing ramp Bastila and the _Sharakan_ fanned out to cover the rest of the group as they rushed into the black and red freighter. Like an ocean the endless stream of droids washed back to fill the gaps that the group had cut through them, isolating Revan from the _Ebon Hawk_ and the rest of his friends.

Revan ducked under a slash from the Vibrosword of a HK-Beta and stabbed his lightsaber deep into the droid's chest when he felt a warning through the Force and his bond with Bastila, both telling him the same thing, _Jump!_

Without thinking Revan made a tremendous Force Leap, jumping toward the hangar's high ceiling.

Below him a deafening roar sounded as the _Ebon Hawk_'s turrets opened fire on the droids that attacked them, vaporizing great swaths of the Alphas and Betas in their crimson light.

Revan landed on the charred deck in front of the _Hawk_'s landing ramp and rushed up it with Bastila and the _Sharakan_ waiting at the top for him. Before the ramp was even fully closed Revan called out, "Carth! Lift off quickly!" The freighter's decking vibrated as she rose from the hangar floor, her laser turrets still firing on the surviving droids below.

Revan reached the cockpit just as the _Vengeance_, flying faster than any ship her size normally could, flashed past and collided with the Star Forge. The fireball from all the explosives in the Sith Battlecruiser's nose expanded outward till it nearly filled the empty space between the three pylons that gripped the Star Forge's main body.

As the fireball dissipated everyone watching couldn't help but breath in sharply at the damage the impact and caused, anything that had been within the fireball was blackened with every fixture that had covered the top of the Star Forge's main body melted into slag. Dozens of hull breaches dotted the Star Forge's ancient hull and without the use of the now non-existent Orbital Control Tower that kept the station in orbit around Rakata's primary sun the dreaded space station began to lose its orbit even as small dots that made up an army of repair droids rushed out to repair the damage, headless of their impending doom.

Below the descending bulk of the Star Forge the energy that the ancient space station had been siphoning off from the star broke free, unleashing the power of the star on the doomed station. As if in revenge for draining its power the star flared and its roiling surface exploded outward to consume the Star Forge in its fiery grasp.

The heat from the sun melted the ancient battle armor that had protected the Star Forge for centuries exposing the weaker structure beneath, in moments the star's heat reached the Star Forge's heart and the power core that ran the mighty station. From the heart of the Star Forge a miniature version of the star that was destroying it flared into existence sending a shockwave out that crumpled and distorted what remained of the Star Forge menacing shape.

Revan grabbed the copilot's chair for support as the shockwave pasted the _Ebon Hawk_ while Carth struggled with the controls to hold their course steady. For a brief moment Revan checked the distance they had cleared from the dying Star Forge, they need to be at least ten kilometers away to avoid the worst of the explosion that was going to result from the Star Forge's death.

They were seven kilometers away.

For a brief moment following the shockwave the Star Forge began to implode, drawing everything in on itself distorting the warped structure that remained of the before blowing out with a force so incredibly violent that it would have awed Revan had he not been in a small freighter soon to be in the heart of it.

The energy from the star followed several of the large pieces of the Star Forge as they were blown away filling the space between them with a net of burning plasma that was closing on the _Ebon Hawk_ quickly.

Without thinking Revan dropped into the copilot seat and activated the _Hawk_'s shields as Carth pulled the freighter up to avoid the first piece of the Star Forge that flew past them.

Fire and debris began to pass the _Hawk_ in the distance and the rearview camera showed that more was catching up with them.

The first wave hit them and the freighter's alarms screamed in protest as the shields tried to stop the star plasma. Sparks flew from the computer console on the above Revan's head and the readout from the rear sensors went blank as the sensors were fried from the heat.

A bone wrenching crunch echoed through the ship accompanied by an impact that shoved the _Hawk_ to the right despite Carth's efforts to hold her steady. Sweat was running down the veteran pilot's face as he struggled with the controls, "I think we just lost a few maneuvering jets on the aft section, she's behaving real sluggish after that last hit."

Revan checked the damage report on his main screen, the entire section of the hull from the left of the port engine till the end of the hull was different shades of red with the darker shades indicating more damage. Revan read off the damaged systems to Carth, which included nearly every maneuvering jet in that sector of the hull.

Carth swore passionately, "In that case get someone in the turret to try and cut down the number of things flying at us and have T3-M4 try and see what he can do for repairs."

Revan nodded and pulled himself upright, only to be through back into the chair by another impact.

"Damn it! Hang on!" Carth yelled as he flipped the _Hawk_ on her back and tore away from the flight path they'd been following on as a massive piece of the Star Forge scraped by overhead.

Revan shook his head and buckled himself back into the copilot's chair as he reached out to Bastila, _Have T3 make some repairs and get someone into the turret to eliminate some of the debris flying around us_. Bastila acknowledged his message with a feeling of grim determination as Revan closed his eyes and reached out to the Force.

He felt the violent swirls of plasma raging around the freighter with heated dots of scrap flying with them. Carefully Revan grasped some of the debris and shoved them away with the Force, but for every piece Revan pushed aside three more threatened to hit the battered freighter and within minutes the effort left Revan weary with exhaustion from the nonstop fighting he had been involved in for nearly the entire day.

Carth snarled as the plasma from the star began to engulf the cockpit, raising the temperature in the ship to the point that it felt like they were being baked alive.

Over the groans from the _Hawk_ Carth could be heard speaking as if coaxing the battered freighter, "Come on baby just a little further." The _Ebon Hawk_ shook again and the flames threatened to engulf her completely, then with a bang that resembled a disruptor carbine being fired she shot clear of the explosion into the surprisingly pleasant embrace of space.

Carth sagged back into his chair exhausted, "That has got to be the closest call I've ever flow through," he glanced at Revan with a weary smirk on his face, "I bet we singed all the paint off the hull."

Revan nodded wearily, "Set a course for Rakata Carth so we can drop off your _Sharakan_ allies before we leave the system."

Carth shrugged calmly, "There's no need to drop them off Revan, they won't leave no matter what I say, they were assigned to protect me by their leader and swore an oath that has a binding effect that only a Wookiee's life-debt could rival in strength to stay at my side for life."

Revan gave Carth a amused expression, "You managed to make the Rakatans that appreciative of you to give a pair of Force-Users as bodyguards? I see the time you spent of Rakata was well spent."

Carth's face froze for a second then began to grow red as outrage built up in his expression, "Well spent! If it hadn't been for you Revan, I never would have been marooned on that planet."

Revan flinched at the hurt in Carth's voice and responded in calm tones, "I'm sorry for my actions before Carth, but I believe that it was the will of the Force that lead everything to happen as it did; as a result of your presence on Rakata the two halves of the world are now joined once more and together they will be able to reenter the galaxy and open themselves to the Force once again."

Carth rose from the pilot's chair and crossed his arms, anger still clearly etched on his face, "That may be, but don't use the will of the Force as an excuse to escape responsibility for what you did as the Dark Lord of the Sith Revan."

Revan nodded once and locked eyes with Carth as he responded, "I am well aware of that fact Carth, I carry the burden of that responsibility with me where ever I go, both for my recent time as Dark Lord and from my old memories of my rule of the Sith Empire prior to my injury."

Carth started to respond, but paused at the pain and sorrow that was evident in Revan's eyes, when he finally replied his voice was calm and his anger was already bleeding away from his body, "Ok Revan, where do you want to go now?"

The brown haired man tapped his chin for a moment, "Lay in a course for Coruscant."

Carth nodded and returned to his seat to start plotting the course as Revan left the cockpit and _Hawk_'s Medical Room. Lying on the medical table was the Dark Jedi that had surrendered to him, though the unconsciousness from Revan's blow had worn off a member of the crew had sedated him before strapping him down to the table during their sudden departure from the Star Forge.

For the first time Revan took a good look at the young man he had been fighting, earlier he had focused his attention on his opponents' weapons and attacks without giving notice to his appearance. The Dark Jedi was surprisingly young, most likely in his earlier twenties with regal features that gave him an air of superiority even while he was unconscious. His hair was a common black shade that was cut short to match the chin curtain beard that he wore. The Dark Jedi was of average height, placing him a few inches shorter than Revan, and fairly athletic built, all of which would make him fairly common in a crowd and able to blend in excellently if he needed to.

Revan glanced over to the medical tray across the room and called a needle to his hand, he held the needle ready to awaken the Dark Jedi then enshrouded him in a net of Force energy that would prevent him from touching the Force, though didn't sever him from it completely. With the net in place Revan injected him with the needle and placed it to one side as the black haired man began to stir.

After a few moments the Dark Jedi opened his eyes, which turned out to be black like his hair and jerked as far as the straps securing him would allow when he realized Revan was standing over him. "What is going on?" he finally managed in something just over a hoarse whisper.

Revan smiled slowly, "You are on board the _Ebon Hawk_ I brought you with me from the Star Forge when I left the station."

A confused look covered the man's face as he replied, "Why?"

Revan snorted softly, "You had surrendered to me during our battle and that meant you were in my custody until we could come to some kind of agreement. As for why I brought you on the _Hawk_, it would have proved difficult to speak to you if you'd been on the Star Forge when it exploded."

The captured Dark Jedi's eyes went wide, "You destroyed the Star Forge?"

Revan nodded solemnly, "That's correct, it was an evil that needed to be purged from the galaxy and since I was responsible for returning its influence on the galaxy." Revan paused and crossed his arms as he looked down at the Dark Jedi, "I guess that leaves us with what to do with you now doesn't it. Why don't we start with introductions, you already no my name; what is yours?"

The Dark Jedi gulped slowly before he responded, "My name is Alex Gorric," Alex hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Thank you for sparring me Lord Revan."

Revan nodded slowly, "Your welcome Alex, but I am no longer Lord anything, for now I am just Revan." After seeing Alex nod slightly Revan uncrossed his arms to tap a leather strap, "Talking while your strapped to the table is a little awkward, if I let you up what would you do?"

Alex's features calmed as he recovered from his original surprise, "Until the terms of my surrender are complete Revan I am at your mercy, to try and escape or attack you would be a blemish on the mercy you showed me by accepting my surrender during the heat of battle."

Revan cocked one eyebrow at Alex's response, "How do I know that I can trust the word of a Sith, they are not known for their honesty as we both are aware."

Alex nodded as much as he could, "That is true, but though I may belong to the Sith I still have my honor to consider; besides I would truly be foolish to attempt to attack you while you are armed and I am not." Alex's eyes took on a slightly far away look then he smiled, "Besides I couldn't really do anything to you while you blocking me from the Force now could I?"

Revan nodded slowly and then waved his right hand over Alex, as his hand passed over the straps their locks released and the straps fell away. As the final strap fell away Revan stepped back so Alex could rise from the table.

Revan gave Alex a few seconds to stretch muscles sore from the straps then spoke again, "Well I suppose we should discuss the terms of your surrender to me."

Alex bowed slightly, "I am at your disposal Revan and will accept anything you wish to do to me."

Revan set a hand on the younger man's shoulder, "I will not be inflicting any physical punishment on you Alex." Revan withdrew his hand and reached inside his robe for Alex's lightsaber which he offered to the surprised man, "For what I will ask of you you'll need this, but you must accept or decline my offer without knowing what I will ask, otherwise I will turn you over to the Jedi Council as a prisoner-of-war."

Alex looked at Revan's face, obviously searching for some deception, then looked down at his lightsaber. After a deep breathe he took the silver cylinder from Revan's hand and held the dormant lightsaber ready at his side, "I accept your offer Revan."

_Author's Note: Well that ends Chapter 24, I hope everyone enjoyed it. Thank you again to everyone who has reviewed and those who have read my story, but for whatever reason declined to take the moment to comment afterward, I really do appreciate all the input and just the knowledge that there are people other than myself that want to read what I'm writing. It looks like this story will be over in either the net chapter or possibly one more after that depending on how everything works out, so stay tuned for the final climax of Darth Revan Returns._


	25. Darth Revan Returns

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, even though I am an avid fan of it. Star Wars and KOTOR belong to George Lucas and BIOWARE.**

Chapter 25: Darth Revan Returns

It had been nearly a year since a group had gathered themselves around the holoprojector in the _Ebon Hawk_'s central room, but now Revan stood with what remained of his original crew, Carth, Bastila, T3-M4, and HK-47 and the few new comers to join them, Alex Gorric and Carth's pair of _Sharakan_ bodyguards, whom Revan had learned were named Thulk and Yizta. It sadden Revan to think of the members missing, Jolee and Juhunai dead at his own hand, and Canderous who was off commanding a Sith Fleet to conquer the Republic at the order of Revan during his second reign as Dark Lord of the Sith. And now Revan was about to leave the remnants of his old crew again; possibly forever this time.

Revan could feel Carth and Bastila's eyes on him as he stepped up to the dormant holoprojector with a heavy sigh, "What I am about to tell you both is not going to be easy to hear, and believe me when I say that is not any easier to say. Once we arrive at Coruscant we will need to land after which I will depart again as soon as I can refuel the _Hawk_."

Bastila looked puzzled, "Why will we be leaving so soon Revan? The Jedi Council will undoubtedly want to see you to see for themselves you have truly turned back to the Light again."

Revan shook his head slowly, "You misunderstand me Bastila, yourself and Carth will remain on Coruscant to serve the Republic as best as you are able to recover from the devastation that I brought upon it." Revan closed his eyes slowly and opened them again as if listening to something far away, "As for Alex, the droids, and I, we will be heading for the Unknown Regions to find the true source of the threat that has been endangering the Republic for so long."

A stunned silence hung over the room for several moments before Carth found the words to speak, "How do you plan to do that Revan? You may be a powerful Jedi but not even you could face the entire Sith Empire alone, you'll need help."

Bastila nodded in agreement, "He's right Revan let us go with you, we can help you fight this threat together."

Revan looked at Bastila slowly, fighting to keep the longing to agree with her from his face, "No. Where I'm going neither of you can follow, the path I walk is mine and mine alone to walk, I cannot take anyone I love with me or those I face will use that against me." With a sorrowful expression etched on his face Revan dropped his head, "It will be on Coruscant that we part ways once more and only the will of the Force will tell when we will meet again." Without another word Revan turned and left the room, returning to the cargo hold quickly leaving his friends out of fear that if he listened to more of their pleas he would change his mind and stay despite the knowledge that if he didn't go the Republic would be doomed. As Revan left the room Alex followed behind him and stood guard beside the door to the cargo hold while Carth and Bastila, still stunned and unable to comprehend what had caused such a response in Revan, returned to the cockpit.

Inside the cargo hold Revan fell to his knees and slammed his fists into the deck as thoughts of doubt filtered into his mind, _Am I doing the right thing? Maybe I should tell them what is happening, what I set in motion. No I can't if they ever truly were to find out why I need to return to the Unknown Regions nothing I said or do would keep them from following me._

Revan brought a hand to his face and wiped a pair of tears that had escaped his eyes unbidden and rose to his feet, with resolve reset on his face.

_Even though it maybe hard it will be for the best._

**UNMARKED LANDING PAD, CORUSCANT**

A slow, steady drizzle fell from the evening Coruscant sky creating a mist over the city as a battered and scorched freighter named the _Ebon Hawk_ landed in the depths of the planet wide city covering Coruscant.

With a slight groan the _Hawk_'s boarding ramp lowered allowing two shadowy figures to emerge from the freighter quickly move to the edge of the landing pad were they crouched down to the scarred floor. The figure on the right loose a throaty growl from its mouth, cutting through the sounds of the humming engines as the _Ebon Hawk_ waited to take to the sky again.

As the growl from the shadowy figure faded two more figures descended the battered space vessel's boarding ramp into the damp mist being swirled around the ship by the wind that whistled through the air.

When they reached the bottom of the ramp Carth and Bastila looked back up the ramp at the robed figure looking down at them from the head of the ramp.

Revan nodded confidently to his two friends and followed them down to the bottom of the ramp. From the folds of his robes Revan produced two data cards and handed one to each of them, "These contain valuable information that will help you finish off the bulk of the Sith Empire after I leave, Carth yours holds their military positions and all of their codes and coding systems currently in use. Bastila yours holds the Sith's major training Academies' locations so the Jedi can wipe out the rest of the Dark Jedi in the Republic."

Revan smiled warmly at them, "May the Force be with you, both of you."

Carth nodded and extended his hand, which Revan grabbed and pulled the war veteran into a hug, "I know you'll do your job Carth, keep the Republic strong to face the coming storms it will have to face."

Revan turned to face Bastila and immediately felt a lump form in his throat, the words he thought to say died before they even could take shape, "Bastila…I…"

Without warning Bastila launched herself into his arms and pressed her lips to his, kissing him furiously. Her arms wrapped themselves around him as if they had been made to be there and his followed without any conscious thought, holding her tightly for those few moments.

For a brief moment Revan was swept away by the flood of sensations he felt, the taste, scent and feel of the woman he loved so much. For a moment the thought of staying entered his mind, to find a way to defeat the Sith from within the Republic.

Those thoughts might as well have been a siren going off in his head as they snapped his mind to the task at hand. Slowly but firmly Revan pushed Bastila back and smiled lightly, "I will miss you Bastila, more than you know, but you must help the Jedi Council rebuilt the Jedi Order from these many years of war and recover what was lost. The Republic, the entire galaxy, will need the Jedi to be strong if we are to defeat the darkness that is ever threatening us."

Bastila sniffed, a single tear falling from each eye, "I know, I'm going to miss you too," the auburn haired woman gulped and wiped the tears from her cheeks, "may the Force be with you."

Revan smiled soberly, "And with you." Without another word Revan walked up the _Ebon Hawk_'s boarding ramp before either of his two friends could see the tears welling up in his eyes.

Waiting at the top of the ramp when Revan reentered the _Hawk_ HK-47 glared as best the droid could at him, "Impatient Question: Now that we have dispensed with those two meatbags will we finally head for the Unknown Regions, my combat protocol ache to be put into use."

Revan nodded slightly, "Don't worry HK, once we're in the thick of the Sith Empire there may come a time when you wish that you didn't have to use your combat protocols."

The black assassin droid responded curtly, "Stark Refusal: Master I hope you are making a joke, in an odd meatbag way, for the thought of desiring to never use my combat protocols if allowed to would lead, to use a meatbag term, a total nervous breakdown."

Revan couldn't help but chuckle as he walked past the loyal droid to the _Ebon Hawk_'s cockpit, though it seemed that his mirth did alleviate the droid's worry letting him put his Master's comment down as more strange meatbag humor.

That same assassin droid's master stepped into the cockpit where a servant of a different kind sat waiting in the copilot's chair, plotting various routes to the boarders of the Unknown Regions fro them to take.

Revan took a deep breathe as he lowered himself into the pilot's chair and looked over at Alex, "Alright, we have one more thing to do before we're off to the Unknown Regions, lay in a course to Onderon's moon Dxun."

Alex nodded and bent himself to the task of plotting the course while Revan piloted the _Hawk_ out of Coruscant's atmosphere and back into the cold embrace of space.

**ABANDONED MANDALORIAN BASE, DUXN, ONDERON SYSTEM**

Canderous Ordo has never been one to let his nerves get the best of him, but if he had been one to do so this would have been one of the times. Duxn was already a stormy, untamed world to begin with, but add to that the darkness of night and only the most veteran warriors would be comfortable standing in an abandoned base where his own people had been dealt one of their bloodiest defeats.

Yet that was where he stood following Revan's orders to meet him here, though it wasn't until he received Revan's last message he had known where to meet him on Duxn. A thick fog lay on the ground around his feet, curling over the armored boots of his old Mandalorian Armor that he'd retrieved from storage after leaving the Sith Fleet, again per Revan's last message to him.

As if thinking of him was enough to make him appear Revan's fog-enshrouded figure emerged from the fog before the veteran Mandalorian with the black, shadowy HK-47 at his side bearing a large crate and another man Canderous did not know at Revan's other hand. The Mandalorian warrior bowed his head to his friend and commander, "Reporting as ordered Revan. I received your message, but I must admit I am mystified as to why the sudden change of strategy. I realize the siege of Ghorman has been taking longer than we'd planned, but I feel that we should be able to break the Republic very soon."

Revan's face remained an impassive mask as he listened to his trusted friend's report, when Canderous stopped speaking he did not respond at first. Instead the crate in HK-47's hands rose of its own accord and settled itself at the Mandalorian's feet, "The future of the Sith Empire is no longer your, or my, concern Canderous. I have new goal for you to fulfill, one that will be more challenging than commanding the Sith Fleet; open the crate Canderous and you will see."

Canderous crouched beside the crate and slowly released the latches and pulled the lid up to reveal the contents; what the veteran Mandalorian saw nearly dropped him to his knees. There staring up at him was the scarred and battered helm of the leader on the Mandalorians, the helm that Revan had taken from the body of the last Mandalore that he had slain in combat. Canderous reached for the helm, the hands that could be steady in the most dangerous of firefights shaking uncontrollably, and lifted the dull silver helm from the crate. Canderous pulled the helm to him and was surprised to see two drops of water fall on the scarred surface, despite the fact that there was no hint of rain in the Duxn sky.

Canderous rose to his feet, clutching the helm tightly at his side, "For what reason to you honor me by giving me this gift Revan?"

For the first time since he'd arrived Revan's face broke into a smile, "Because me old friend, the galaxy has been without the strength of the Mandalorians for to long and they will be needed again," Revan pulled the Helm of Mandalore slowly from Canderous' hands and set it upon the man's head, "Now assemble your people once more, as the leader of the Mandalorians, Mandalore."

Though the helm hid his face, Canderous could feel hi eyes go wide in their sockets, "But no one can claim to be Mandalore without facing the honored trials of my people and only Mandalore himself knew how to find the place of these trials, I would be a usurper in a shell of armor to do this."

Revan shook his head and patted Canderous on the shoulder, "In the crate, along with the rest of Mandalore's armor are the personal journal of the pervious Mandalore and in it he describes where the trials are to be found and a few other things about his campaign against the Republic that I believe will be key to all future generations of Mandalorians."

Canderous looked down at the crate, truly speechless, "Revan your honor me far more than I deserve, I will always be at your service." Canderous looked up to say something more but only the cool, gray swirl of the fog of Duxn remained to greet him.

Canderous looked around with a new view on the crumbling ruins of the Mandalorian Base surrounding him, "Here it begins, here the Mandalorian Clans will be reborn under a new Mandalore of the Clan Ordo."

If anyone else heard his declaration they remained silent, yet still Canderous felt a sense of finality in the statement and after lifting the crate that contained the Armor of Mandalore and marched through the mists to his ship to fulfill Revan's final command.

**_EBON HAWK_, UNKNOWN REGIONS**

An endless field of star extended before Revan as he sat in the cockpit of the _Ebon Hawk_ at the barrier where Known Space ended and the Unknown Regions of unclaimed space began. In the distance beautiful nebulas swirls like space borne clouds with the twinkling lights of stars flashing like some distant fireworks displays.

Revan closed his eyes and felt the flow if the Force that existed even in coolness of space as it whirled between the stars that he saw and the other deep space life forms that inhabited space.

However, behind that life and deeper in the Unknown Regions Revan felt a deep undercurrent of darkness that flowed like the treacherous undertow of a river fattened by spring rains ready to pull him under if he'd allow. A small part of that darkness came from within his own ship, a man named Alex who would travel with him into that very undercurrent of darkness. Yet Revan could also feel a weakening of the darkness hold on Alex, if only faintly, and he could also feel the essence of his old darkness still within himself.

Revan opened his eyes once more and slowly gripped the comfortable controls on his freighter as an ancient verse from the depths of his patchwork memory emerged from his lips, "Darkness falls on the stars of the Galaxy, yet the Light does not despair it boldly faces the darkness till the end of time." Revan typed in the first set of coordinates that would set him on his journey into the True Sith Empire, "Let this darkness know that Revan in coming to them and may the True Sith learn to fear the time when Darth Revan returns."

_Author's Note: I will quickly apologize for the time it took me to complete this final chapter, but I also will say that I hope everyone enjoyed it and that you have enjoyed this story that I have been working on since October 26, 2004. This will be the first of my stories to be completed, but it will not be that last. I thank each and every one of you loyal readers who have kept me going on this story, pointed out my errors, and encouraged my efforts. I dedicated this final chapter to you all._

_Thank you,_

_Lexington's Hammer_


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